The Language of Flowers
by Madhumalati
Summary: HK, shounenai. 40th: Set immediately after chapter 30 of this fic. Kurama is devious. Hiei is sleepy. Obviously, Hiei stands not a whisper of a chance.
1. The language of flowers

A/N: hints of shounen-ai. You have been warned. I also don't own Hiei, Kurama or the aster mentioned in this fic. And if you were reading this in the hope that I really do own it, boy, do you need that appointment at the shrink's.

_**The language of flowers. **_

'What are you doing, fox?'

Kurama didn't turn around; he already knew the short youkai was standing behind him. Even with his presence masked, Hiei couldn't sneak up on him, not here. 'Listening,' he said lightly, blocking the other sounds out to concentrate on the conversation.

Hiei tilted his head. If he had been the type, he would have cocked an eyebrow. 'To what? There's not much to listen to here.'

Kurama looked around them at the serene park. He had a few in and around the city that he visited, but this park was his favourite. It was originally a noble but misguided attempt at making an otherwise 'rough' area more attractive to buyers – misguided, because the rest of the neighbourhood was in such condition that one would have to be blind, deaf, broke and suicidal to even consider living there. The park had been a dilapidated, shoddy affair when he first saw it; a few tentative plants struggling through hard, cement-choked soil and a bench or two (with a few boards missing). After someone (naming no names) had begun visiting, the plants had suddenly blossomed and become stronger; all sorts of seeds that the park's sole gardener (unofficially retired) had planted in a rare fit of energy sprouted – some months after they had been planted – and grew at an alarming rate; and pests stayed away if they knew what was good for them. In less than a year, it had become a lush, colourful park, and the thick, high wall of brambles that had mysteriously sprung up and which absolutely refused to stay pruned ensured that no-one really used it.

Except for one reincarnated fox.

Kurama looked up curiously at Hiei from where he lay sprawled on the grass, his hands supporting him, legs stretched out. 'You really can't hear them?' he said, genuinely taken aback. Hiei had a Jagan after all, he had to be more open to these influences than most others, human or youkai.

'Hear what?'

The fox waved a hand, indicating the place they were in. 'Them. The plants. I can barely hear you over their chatter.' He looked more closely at Hiei's expressionless face and his eyes widened slightly in surprise. 'You really can't hear them, can you.'

Hiei shrugged. 'Haven't tried.'

'Want to?'

Hiei considered that seriously for a whole minute. He had never used the Jagan for any purpose that didn't involve death, destruction or mayhem – in fact, he preferred a healthy combination of all three in an ideal situation. And he certainly hadn't thought about talking to plants with it. Still, it was worth a try. 'Hn.'

Kurama smiled. Hiei's grunts were as complex as the average language. This one was _maybe_ with _haven't thought of it _and _you better not laugh if you know what's good for you._ 'Open up, then,' he said. 'Nobody's here to see.'

Hiei reached up and tugged the headband loose, freeing his third eye, which flared to life on his forehead. Everything sprang into sharp relief –the hundred tiny movements of insects in the leaves, the suddenly-too-loud sounds of the city, birdsong, the ebb and flow of Kurama's aura, the cool, smooth feel of his mind. _Gently, _Kurama warned him. When had Hiei reached out to him? _Listen to the flowers. You have to concentrate. _

_Fox, _he said impatiently. As if he needed advice from someone else on how to use his jagan. _Shut up and let me listen. _

And listen he did.

Slowly, softly, a whisper filled the air, as subtle as the lightest touch of wind. Hiei's normal eyes closed, his brow furrowing slightly as he sought that elusive breath of sound. Kurama watched carefully as the jaganshi tried to hear what was so clear to him.

The whisper steadied, became louder, clearer, fractured words and images, like the mind of a child except for the clarity and maturity of their emotions. Hiei hadn't thought that plants could feel, but they did. _Sun dawn happy red-eyes unfold quiet calm petal unfold peaceful insect insect worried insect sap stem fold sway dance move wind fox wind sweet fox who? who are you? listen urgent mind eyes red-eyes who? insect sad sun morning soon soon quickly sap draw feed inhale happy happy air wind fox_

Hiei's eyes shot open – all three of them – to meet Kurama's, green with hints of gold. The fox watched him with amusement, wonder and understanding.

'It takes a while,' he said. 'Then you can hear each one individually.' Slender, careful fingers wrapped around the stem of an aster next to him. 'Try this one.'

Hiei focused on the aster, and with a psychic _click_ he heard its delicate mind-voice. For a second he thought he had only picked up on one thought because all he could hear was _foxfoxfoxlookatmefoxwatchmegrowfoxfoxflowerfoxsunwarmwindfoxcoolfoxredfox_, ecstatic. Then Kurama smiled, brilliantly, and Hiei saw the energy the fox was feeding the aster. He could feel the emotions in the plant, alien but familiar – joy, warmth, love, directed at the red-haired spirit master who was helping it grow.

'It……' he trailed off, knowing the end of that sentence and feeling too foolish to say it. He encouraging look Kurama gave him bolstered his courage. 'It loves you.'

'Mmm.' Kurama's aura flared briefly, and he looked vaguely embarrassed. 'This place was a wreck before I found it, you know. Too much pollution, too little care. I cleaned it up a bit, helped everything grow; they like me for it. It's a good place to go to when I want to think.'

Now that Hiei knew, it was easy to feel the aura of this place. It was filled with Kurama's energy, intense and gentler than the weaponry that Hiei had seen him use. It was obvious why he came here; with the amount of spirit energy he had to have expended to construct this entire garden, it would feel exactly like Kurama himself, as familiar and comfortable as an old nightshirt. And for the plants………

As Kurama's energy extended through the small park, Hiei could feel a rising chorus of _foxfoxfox!_ in the air. They were calling him, Hiei realised; clamouring for his attention. It reminded him oddly of how children in a large family behaved with a parent.

'The acacias, they're greedy,' Kurama said with a smile Hiei hadn't quite seen before. 'Never let the smaller ones have enough. I have to go do those personally.' Kurama's eyes slid slowly shut as he _felt_ the park around him come alive, _foxfoxfoxfox_ from all the trees.

'Fox…' Hiei said. The red-haired man looked at him. '…never mind.'

Exactly like a family.

Hiei hadn't really thought about Kurama and his plants. What he did with his seeds when he wasn't using them to fight or heal, what they thought when he used them, how he took care of them, what he thought of them. He fought, he healed, seed turned into big plant, plant turned into seed, whatever. It wasn't his problem, since he had no intention of being on the other end of Kurama's arsenal – the fox fought with many strategies and no scruples whatsoever – a dangerous combination. But now he was seeing a side of Kurama that he was possibly the only one to know about.

Tugging the headband over his jagan, Hiei turned away abruptly, relieved at the sudden silence in the park, although he could still hear faint echoes of the plants' voices. He could feel Kurama's curious eyes on his back, but he didn't turn back to meet them. That would reveal too much. 'You going to spend all night here, fox?'

'Morning, you mean,' Kurama corrected. He sat back down as he had before, leaning back against one of the trees, relaxed.

'Hn.'

'Probably,' Kurama said. 'I don't need to sleep and I have school in four hours. I might even get some homework done, the light's enough now.' He gestured at his schoolbag, which was lying on the grass next to him.

Hiei made another noise that held equal amounts of _you're crazy _and _whatever_ and turned to leave. Sentimental rubbish. He had no time to waste on this.

'Stay?'

Kurama's voice was softer than it usually was, and Hiei froze completely for several seconds, his mind caught so off guard that it went completely silent, and all he could hear was _foxfoxfox_.

Then he huffed and stalked back to Kurama and sprang up onto a branch of the tree the fox was resting against, settling his small frame comfortably on the smooth wood. He was at a convenient angle, where he could see the sunrise that had just begun, glowing red in the east and inky black in the west if he was inclined to look that way; and he only needed to shift his eyes a bit to see Kurama's brilliant crimson hair ten feet or so below him. 'There. Happy now, fox?'

Kurama smiled and nodded.

The End

A/N: Well, that's technically the first YYH fanfic I wrote. Writer's block medicine - lots of anime and HK goodness! My, I needed that. Maybe I'll even be able to handle the challenge fics now. So, read and review.


	2. Of windows and flu

A/N: In response to the feedback I've received, I've decided to make this into a series of oneshots that may cross genres. I'm not going to write longer stories, though I may develop the HK angle a bit – as people who've read my other stories may know, I'm not really into writing romance.

**_Of Windows and Flu._**

Hiei hopped through the window, took one look at Kurama and promptly began to snicker.

'I hade you,' Kurama said from the bed where he was huddled under a mountain of blankets. 'Sdop laughing, dabbit.' He sniffled and blew his nose into a handkerchief before burying his head under the blankets until the jaganshi could only see a tangle of bright red hair.

Hiei refused to comply.

'Sod obb,' the hair said moodily. Hiei stopped, recognising the real irritation in Kurama's voice.

'Are you actually sick, fox?'

'You know, dis is jusdice,' the hair complained. 'Doo years I dry do bake you lab and dis is what it dakes. Sobebody's labing, I'b sure of id, but dot be.'

'You're talking funny,' Hiei observed, deliberately not mentioning his laughter.

'Dere's a bland in the selb,' said the hair. 'Green, small, bink flowers, sbells sdrong. Dyou hand id do be?'

Hiei hunted through the little shelf where Kurama kept his medicinal plants, briefly noting the false back and deciding not to look into it. The last time he had Become Bored in Kurama's seed shelf he had wound up with some nasty cuts on his wrist from trying to reach past the Makai version of a Venus flytrap. He located the small, strong-smelling plant and walked over to Kurama. He rapped the pile of bedding impatiently and a long, well-covered arm reached out and grabbed the plant, dragging it into the bedding.

'I'm not going to talk to your hair, fox,' Hiei said, and Kurama's head popped out reluctantly.

The fox looked, well, awful. The appearance of people didn't generally matter to Hiei. Dead, Dying and Alive were the three main categories of looks that Hiei routinely acknowledged. Still, over the last few months he had found himself……attentive of the fox.

Kurama's eyes were bloodshot and puffy. His nose was red and his face was pale. Hiei watched as he crushed the leaves and dabbed the clear oil it secreted over his forehead, nose and throat. 'M-n-t-q-p,' he said experimentally before drawing in a deep breath; his nose cleared. 'There, that's much nicer.'

'Question. Why didn't you do that before?'

'Eight-hour doses,' the redhead said, glaring balefully at Hiei. Apparently, he hadn't forgotten being laughed at. 'Unless I want my lungs and brain deep-fried by the oil. The plant's a little……enthusiastic.'

'Oh.'

Silence fell. Kurama blew his nose. Hiei counted the number of leaves on the tree opposite Kurama's bedroom. Twice.

'So how come you got sick? It's not exactly a demon thing.' He continued to look outside, not needing to see Kurama to feel the icy stare his back was receiving.

Kurama sniffed. 'Apparently, my _human_ half is not unsusceptible to disease. And while I can heal myself of just about any injury, and prevent or cure most dangerous diseases, I'm afraid I can't do much against the common cold.' His eyes glinted golden for a brief second. 'I don't like it.'

The jaganshi watched him carefully. He knew Kurama, knew the incredibly convoluted thought-processes the fox used; he could even say that he knew him better than anyone else alive. But he didn't actually know Youko Kurama at all; and from what he had seen, the youkai had a certain air of danger and innate arrogance that was more like Hiei himself than the reserved Kurama.

'Do you mind if I get back in the blankets?' Kurama said petulantly. 'It's cold out here.'

'It would be warmer,' Hiei observed, 'if you kept your window locked. It doesn't shut all the way unless you do, you know.'

'Oh,' Kurama said, and he looked a little redder than he already was. 'I must have forgotten.'

Hiei eyed the fox narrowly as he closed the window. Kurama didn't do the whole forgetting thing. He was one of the most meticulous people Hiei knew. If that window was open, then he wanted it to be open. But……

At this point, Hiei's brain refused to go any further because it was in extreme danger of short-circuiting.

'Hn,' he grunted and shut the window. Kurama looked happier.

Another, longer silence.

'Ever wish you were a demon again?'

Now why had he asked that? He'd wanted to inquire into the plant Kurama had used, and look what came out. Kurama was apparently having the same thought, because he raised an eyebrow and made a sort of 'urk' sound.

Well, he wasn't going to repeat himself, so Hiei remained silent.

'What brought this on?' Kurama said finally.

Again, silence.

'Sometimes,' Kurama said. Hiei had learned something about Kurama in the time he'd known him. The fox rarely lied outright, he claimed that lies were easy to detect; but he had a gift with words that shifted meanings gently to the impression he wanted the listener to have. And occasionally, he was prone to fits of honesty. This seemed to be one of those moods. Or maybe he was sicker than Hiei thought. 'I don't know. At times like this, when I'm weakened by something that should barely have affected me…'

'You'd go back in a moment if you had a way, wouldn't you,' Hiei said, a statement, not a question.

'When I have to obey some stupid customs and laws, when all I want is to do what I desire and the devil take the rest……'

'And what you want always seems out of your reach……'

'And home's so far away……'

'But it'll never be the same even if you do find it……'

'…yeah,' Kurama finished with a sigh. 'I wish I was a demon again.'

'You could,' Hiei said, staring interestedly at the carpet, 'probably return if you so desired. Unlike certain others I can think of. Myself, mainly.'

'Not yet,' Kurama said, his glance darting instinctively to the door and the human beyond it who was blissfully unaware of her son's true identity. She wasn't at home today; he'd practically shoved her out the front door and told her to go out and stop worrying about a stupid cold. 'No, not yet.'

'I see,' Hiei said, and he did.

Kurama hauled himself out of bed and went to his desk, picking up a book he needed to read for his literature class. He was briefly surprised at how comfortable the room temperature was now. The room was much warmer now that the window was closed. He sneaked a look at the thermometer on the wall. It was five degrees warmer than he'd set the heater to be.

So that was Hiei, hmm.

He was quite familiar with the way the fire-youkai instinctively turned up the temperature whenever he was indoors. Hiei disliked the cold, and he disliked being wet even more. Kurama supposed it had something to do with not being as effective with fire attacks. But the temperature had already been adequate when Hiei came in. He must have used his powers to warm it up further.

There was a kind side to Hiei. Deep down. Somewhere. Okay, it was about as far down as the sixth level of the demon world, but there were occasional glimpses of it. The mere fact that Hiei hadn't yet killed Kuwabara in some incredibly painful way said that he was capable of it. The human was a good guy, but he didn't know when to stop. Unlike Yusuke, who didn't know, period. Although he did have some surprising insights at times.

And Kurama, unlike both, knew enough to accept that if he ever mentioned his rare lapses into consideration to Hiei he'd be a tiny pile of smoking ash in less time than it took to say 'Kokuryuuha'.

A few hours passed in a pleasant quietness. Hiei had a remarkable capacity for silence, and he didn't get twitchy and worried the way most people did when they were in a room with someone and there was no conversation. (Kurama had also considered that this could also be because such people were usually wondering if it was impolite to be quiet, and Hiei had either been born with no politeness or had spent years disciplining it out of his system.) The medicine was beginning to wear off again, and Kurama sniffled miserably as his nose slowly blocked with body fluids that his Youko aspect sneered at.

'You're starting to get sick again, aren't you?'

'Yeah,' Kurama said.

'Hn.'

'Mmm.' He picked up the book got back in the bed, feeling a familiar aura approaching. 'My mom's back. I told her to get out for six hours at least.' He checked the watch. Five and a half hours. Oh, well.

'Hn. Well, I'm off, fox.' With that rude dismissal, Hiei streaked out of the window. He was very uncomfortable around Shiori for reasons Kurama didn't understand.

Kurama sighed and tucked the small medicinal plant he had used under the covers. He might be able to wring another dose out of it. If only his mother didn't stuff him full of those stupid human antibiotics……

He fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was dark, and Shiori had cleaned his room, put his book away and tucked him in neatly. It was warm in the room, very warm, and Kurama realised that his fever must have broken. He felt well, better than he had in days. At this rate, he'd be back in school the day after tomorrow.

He was very sleepy and the bed was oh so comfortable right now, but Kurama pulled himself reluctantly from the warm tangle of blankets and went over to the window which Shiori had locked. He unlocked it, sighing slightly when it sprang open two inches and a flood of cold air entered the room. He stuffed a scarf in the gap, hoping it would help, and turned the heat up a little more.

Priorities were priorities, after all.


	3. Mystery of the long sleeved shirt

_**The Mystery of the Long-sleeved Shirt**_

Third in the Language of Flowers one-shot series.

It was at one of Yusuke's 'post-mission parties' (Read: booze-fests) that Hiei first realised that Kurama never took his shirt off in front of anyone.

They were playing a game of Truth and Dare. Since there were six of them – Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Botan, Keiko and Shizuru – Kurama offered a dice and said that each of them could choose a number. Kurama took the six, and after about three hours of play his turn hadn't come yet.

'You're cheating,' Yusuke said finally.

'All right, I'll switch numbers with you,' Kurama said promptly, and his streak of amazing good luck continued.

Hiei snorted. He could sense the slight life energy in the dice. It was too subtle for the others to sense, but since it was made of wood, Kurama was cheating. 2+24. Things like that.

'I'll play,' he announced, hopping off the window-sill where he was watching from. It was a simple trick for him to block the control Kurama had imposed. In three rolls of the dice, it was Kurama's turn.

'Truth or Dare, Kurama?' Yusuke said gleefully. It was his turn to ask.

'Truth,' Kurama said. The last time he had taken dare had required some very fast talking and a memory wipe. Who knew that Yusuke's idea of scaring the neighbours involved man-eating plants?

'Is it true that nobody's seen you with your shirt off?'

Kurama paled just a little. Then he blushed a lot. 'Not since I was thirteen. And not in a non-platonic way.'

Yusuke sat back, smug. Keiko had told him that no sex-related questions were allowed, but he had neatly confirmed Kurama's celibacy without actually asking. Kuwabara owed him big for this one.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kurama was quite happy to be back home. They had stopped playing before his turn came again and Yusuke thought to ask why he never took his shirt off in public. That answer was definitely too embarrassing to reveal.

He entered his room and shut the door. He took a quick shower and changed into his thin night-clothes and switched on the bedside lamp to reveal Hiei sitting on his window, arm bent across one knee, the other dangling down, not quite touching the floor.

'So?' the jaganshi said.

'So what?'

'So why don't you ever take your shirt off?'

Mentally, Kurama cringed. 'That's a ridiculous thing to say. Of course I take my shirt off. Imagine the kind of stink I'd have by now if I didn't. It would be my deadliest weapon.'

'I,' Hiei said, 'am not stupid.'

'Really, I do. I change my clothes, I bathe. I need to take my shirt off for those, don't I?'

'Don't play the fool with me. You wear those long-sleeved shirts all the time. You never use public baths, and you don't take your shirt off in PE like most of the other boys do, and you manage to be the first in and the last out to the school showers. Hell, you don't even cut your sleeves off to fight!'

'That's not true. There was that one time with the short sleeves, and Youko's not very particular about how much he's g – hey, wait a minute. Why were you hanging around my school?'

'I was bored. ……And don't change the subject.'

'It nearly worked.'

' "There's no such thing as nearly dead. You're either kicking or alive," ' Hiei quoted.

'Makai proverbs are real fun, aren't they?'

'Still changing the subject.'

With a frustrated huff, Kurama threw himself face-down on the bed. 'Can we do this later? I'm halfway to sloshed, and I like to fall asleep before I get really drunk and start Having Fun.'

'Having fun, hmm,' Hiei mused. 'Does it involve blood, murder, taking over the world, random insanity or screaming people?'

'Mostly the last two,' Kurama admitted. 'The first two are hard to explain away to the police, and the bloodstains really don't wash well from silk. The third really doesn't give me the time to maintain my grades. I've tried.'

Hiei shot him a strange look. 'You're drunk. Either that, or your sense of priorities is deeply warped.'

'Blame it on my history teacher. She's the one who taught me that school matters more than anything else. Especially the work she assigns.'

'She the one with the French braids and the incredibly tight–'

'Yes,' Kurama said hastily. 'She has this…this _aura_ around her. It's almost demonic.'

Silence fell. Kurama's eyes grew heavy.

'Fox.'

'What is it, Hiei?' he said sleepily.

'You still haven't told me why you never take your shirt off.'

'I just don't, all right?' he snapped, his eyes still closed. 'Just because the rest of you have this burning need to prove your own masculinity doesn't mean I have to shred my clothing and bare my hairy chest to the adoring fangirls whenever I want to swat a flea. Not that there were many of those at the dark tournament.'

'Hn.' There was a short, pregnant pause. 'Do you–'

'No, I _don't_ have a hairy chest!' Kurama turned to face the wall and reached over to snap the light off. A small but strong hand clamped around his wrist.

'You're not going to sleep until you tell me.'

'Hiei–'

'It can't possibly be that bad. Demons don't scar, and judging by the rest of you, you're hardly deformed. Unless you really are a woman, like every other person who fights you seems compelled to point out.'

'You are about one insult away from being painfully killed. And why are you so fixated on this anyway?'

'It's annoying,' Hiei said, doing one of his blinky movements and sitting on the sill a nanosecond later.

'What is?'

'That I don't know.'

'Why?' Kurama said, honestly puzzled. 'It's really not that significant.'

But it was. Hiei was supposed to know more about the fox than anyone else alive, and he had missed this crucial bit of information. It unsettled him. Kurama knew entirely too much about him, and the only way he could feel safe was to have an equal amount of knowledge. They were matched in power, ability and intellect; the friction of their interaction was eased only if they were precisely matched in all the small things as well. Hiei hated weakness, and Kurama was the ultimate control freak. This shouldn't have mattered to him at all, but it was a major victory that the fox had very quietly stolen, and he didn't like it.

By the slight widening and narrowing of Kurama's eyes, Hiei knew that those thoughts had been plucked neatly off some minute movement of his body that even he wouldn't have noticed. The thief had learned to read people expertly over his lifetime, and the reincarnation hadn't lost those skills.

'Oh,' he said in a much lower voice. 'I didn't think you were thinking of that. At this date, I didn't imagine it would matter so much.' It had, at first. Their conversations had been elaborate dances, each trying to reveal as little and discover as much as possible. But the fox had stopped doing that a while ago, when he realised that his feelings for Hiei were changing. Apparently the half-breed didn't share his opinion.

Which hurt. A little. But he knew exactly how vulnerable Hiei had been, and how long, and it was a natural reaction that Kurama didn't need. He had spent the last few years in a loving family, and even before that hadn't felt very insecure. He enjoyed one-upmanship, but it was a game to him, not a necessity.

'Hn. It doesn't.' Hiei considered flitting away, but the rain had been pouring down for about five minutes now, and he hated being wet. The fates were truly against him.

The fox was quiet for a while, his eyes cast into shadows by the glaringly red bangs that fell over them. Just when Hiei thought he had fallen asleep, he spoke.

'If you must know, I have a tattoo.'

'A what?' said Hiei disbelievingly.

'A tattoo? You know, like that dragon you have on your arm? Except that mine doesn't smoke and kill people. Pity,' Kurama added. Hiei decided that he really didn't want to get Kurama roaring drunk. Ever.

'So what? Don't you have solvents that remove the tattoo?'

'For ordinary ones, yes, I have something that does the job. Unfortunately, this was done with one of my own inks. A dare was involved.'

'How much did you win?' Hiei smirked as he saw Kurama's expression. 'Don't tell me you didn't even have the wits to bet on it at the time. How old were you then?'

'Thirteen. I wasn't exactly sober. Remind me never to use fake ID and illusion to get into clubs again.'

'But Youko doesn't have a tattoo.'

'Which is correct, because it was Minamino Shuuichi who did it.'

'You got drunk and tattooed yourself on a dare.'

'That's it, pretty much.'

'_You _got drunk.'

'Yes.'

'And got a tattoo.'

'Yes.'

'When you were thirteen.'

'_Yes_,' said Kurama, who was getting irritated. 'Are you quite finished being stupid?'

'So what is it?'

'What?'

'The tattoo, you idiot fox. What is it?'

Kurama blushed, which was shocking in itself. 'It's really nothing.'

'I don't believe you.' Quick as a flash, he pinned Kurama to the headboard and sat on his legs, his other hand slicing neatly through the buttons on his nightshirt. Ignoring the fox's indignant yelp, he pushed the shirt off him and took a good look.

'Oh,' he said quietly, awed, resisting the unbearably strong impulse to reach out and touch. The tattoo covered part of Kurama's chest. It was fairly simple, done in black ink alone. The lines were clear and decisive, detailed. It was the work of a master artist. A fox stood on top of a circle with twenty-four spokes; it was centred over his heart. It held a small rose in its teeth, and its tail coiled around the symbol. Its ears were cocked up, and it gazed straight at Hiei with an old, wise cunning and supreme confidence in its own superiority.

Well, so much for the theory that Kurama was a woman. He most certainly was not. He wasn't hairy, either.

'The wheel. What does it mean?'

'This?' Kurama traced it casually with his fingertips, trying his utmost to look absolutely unconcerned by the fact that his best friend was sitting on him and had just ripped his clothes off. He firmly silenced the part of his Youko brain that could have edited, updated, revised and more than doubled the size of the Kama Sutra, and which was currently screaming and running and pulling its hair out and accusing him of having no libido whatsoever. 'It stands for the circle of life. An old symbol. Older, even, than I am.'

'Your arrogance is amazing,' Hiei said, shaking his head slightly. 'Triumphing over death itself, the fox. Only you would have chosen such a thing.'

'It's very well done, though. I paid for the best, and I got it.'

'Yes, the fox is beautiful,' said Hiei, and then risked a look at Kurama. The emerald eyes were shadowed, under control, blank. Suddenly, he felt very uncomfortable.

He moved so fast that the fox didn't even know he wasn't there until his warm weight was gone.

'So, now you know my darkest secret,' Kurama said lightly, trying to gloss over the awkwardness.

'One of them, at any rate,' Hiei grunted. 'And why are you so embarrassed by this, anyway?'

'It spoils my image. The perfect student and perfect son, Minamino Shuuichi, can't afford to be tattooed. And really, for all its style, it doesn't suit the infamous thief Kurama either.'

Hiei snorted. 'You're lying.'

'Is it that obvious?' one bright green eye peered at him.

'No.'

'…it's a private thing, Hiei. That tattoo says too much about me, and I tend to be possessive about what I reveal of myself to others.'

That, he could believe. The fox led a carefully compartmentalised existence. It also meant that he had crossed a very major line.

'I don't mind,' Kurama said on cue.

'Hn,' Hiei said dismissively, but he felt – and probably looked – absurdly pleased.

'On the other hand,' he continued, 'I do expect to be paid for that shirt.'

'You've got a closet full of them.'

'Can't be too rich, too thin, or the owner of too many silk nightshirts.'

'You're vain,' Hiei accused. The rain was slowing down, and he debated leaving. But the ledge was better than Kurama's tree, or the one in the park.

'Of course. It's my only virtue.'

'A virtue, fox?'

'You should see what my vices are like.'

'Hn.'

A/N: so, the mood's a little lighter here. The next one's written, and will be updated soon. Ever notice that Kurama really never takes his shirt off? At all? Thanks to Fate VII, whose author's note in Skeleton Dancer provided the inspiration for this. Enjoy.

Niru


	4. Okay, so it wasn't a tattoo

_**Omake:**_

Hiei considered flitting away, but the rain had been pouring down for about five minutes now, and he hated being wet. The fates were truly against him.

And just why was Kurama being so secretive anyway?

Hiei was one for quick action once he made up his mind, and it was the work of a second for him to flit over to the bed, pin Kurama's limbs and rip the chest of the shirt off.

To reveal a lacy black bra that – just about – covered a fairly, er, sizable chest, which was definitely female.

Hiei gaped.

They remained frozen like that for all of three seconds before Hiei's stunned brain connected a few bits of information together. 'Oh, so that was where Karasu got those pictures he was selling at the tournament. And here I thought he was just into Photoshop hentai-ness……'

Bright green turned icy gold.

'ROSE WHIP!'

And thus did Hiei's sex life go from nonexistent to downright impossible.

A/N: I couldn't resist. Kill me not. The next one won't include gender-bending, I swear.


	5. A flower for everything

A/N: It has come to my attention that not only does Kurama take off his shirt in the YYH movie, he is also (artistically, I am assured) nekkid! And so, I continue hastily, before I begin to drool at the mouth; consider the previous story a divergence. Or imagine, as I do, that Kurama developed a better solvent between the TWT nature of my stories and the movie. Whatever works. Thank you for pointing it out, though! And points to anyone who can spot the quote from Speed in this fic. This chapter has been replaced because one line got cut somehow.

**_A flower for everything_**

Based on Hiei's statement during the Sensui arc (and Kurama's ridiculously smug expression). Those two flirt so badly.

Kurama opened the door to his room and groaned as he saw his mother sitting on his bed with a frightened expression. The false back to his closet was open, and the extra space he had carved out was clearly visible, filled with packets of seeds, jars and bulbs hanging from the ceiling, a spare set of his fighting clothes hanging neatly folded on the inside of the door, along with various implements he used in preparing potions, mixtures and poisons.

'Shuuichi, what……' she began.

He stepped in, shutting the door behind him, reaching for the seed he had hidden in his hair, the required flower blooming instantly in his hand. Shiori's eyes grew wide as she inhaled its sweet, addictive scent, and then she slumped over in a deep sleep. Kurama caught her as she fell, the dark blue flower going back to seed form. 'Oh, mother,' he sighed. 'Why _do_ you have to snoop around in my closet?'

Carefully, he carried her into her room, laying her gently on the bed, before returning. He checked the contents of his closet, making sure that she hadn't inhaled any poisons like she had the last time he had found her, before he started keeping them in his school locker – anybody who went snooping in _there_ deserved it. She hadn't been through his most dangerous seeds, so he was spared the worry of whipping up an antidote this time, at least. He mused that he really did have a flower for everything.Hiei had said that to him once, and he remembered the surge of pride he had felt so clearly.

Kurama's own collection of plants would have made any horticulturist drool with envy, even though he had access to only a fraction of the plants Youko had owned. Youko had operated in the human world as well (discreetly enough not to be suspected) and Kurama had faked a few 'school trips' to retrieve most of his caches. Some were buried in his garden, some in trees scattered all over the city; the rarest and the most frequently were in his closet, and this was what Shiori had stumbled upon.

For the third time that year.

The dream flower pollen fogged the memory; the greater the exposure, the more the loss. Shiori would have a few hours of lost time. Really, it was remarkable, the resilience of these humans. And their gullibility.

He'd never quite understood the whole being human thing. He had skipped infanthood, childhood and teenage and gone right along to being a couple centuries old, thanks to Youko's influence. Even now, he found himself stymied at all the wrong moments, pondering what a human would do in such and such a situation. At the same time, he was exposed to human influence enough that in a fight, he found himself wondering whether a demon would react differently than he was. His reactions were instinctive, fluid, but they didn't jell with demon or human thought processes. He was somewhere in between, even more of a half-breed than Yusuke or Hiei; one was demon, but with human responses; and the jaganshi was demon through and through. But Kurama himself……he was a master of illusion. Whether through magic or verbal misdirection, he was able to balance his lives effortlessly, neatly compartmentalised; but his own sense of dislocation was harder to mask.

I make plans, he thought bitterly to himself. I make plans, and backup plans, and then I leave myself an escape route. I make so many plans that I barely have time to live. I weave webs of deception, and tell lies to support the lies until even I don't know what's truth.

I hate my life. I hate it.

It was in this mood that Hiei found him, lying on the bed, his red hair spilling over the pillow, arms tucked behind his head.

'I am,' said Kurama tragically, 'caught between worlds. I don't know where I belong, I don't know how I should react, I don't know what I want to be.'

'Hn.' Hiei's expression said clearly – if you're looking for sympathy, keep looking.

'It's true,' said Kurama, oddly annoyed with him.

'Whatever, fox. Do you have any chocolate?'

'I tell you I'm misunderstood and you ask for chocolate?'

'You like it. I repeat, do you have chocolate?'

He sat up on his bed and glared accusingly at Hiei. He was the great Youko Kurama. How dare Hiei brush him off? 'I like it?'

'Don't you?' Hiei said bluntly.

He flopped back down. 'I don't get it.'

'Don't be stupid, fox, it's not your style.'

'Say I am and tell me.'

'Chocolate.'

'Answers.'

'No answers.'

'No chocolate.'

Hiei turned his death-to-all-living-creatures glare on Kurama. Who was remarkably unaffected, and even went so far as to smirk. Only slightly, of course, having a fine instinct for self-preservation.

'You,' said Hiei slowly, 'are beginning to annoy me. Not only because you're being deliberately foolish, but because of the way you insist on pretending to be what you're not even when it's obvious to me.'

'You seem quite confident that you know what I am.'

'And you seem equally confident that I don't.'

'I have reason to be.'

'Fox, you overestimate yourself and underestimate me.'

Kurama's eyes narrowed. 'Get it right in five sentences and you win.'

Hiei considered that for a while. Kurama flopped over and tugged the pillow over his head.

'You believe,' Hiei said slowly, 'that you must define yourself as either human or demon when in fact you are both and neither. You remember being different and you know that your human self would be nothing like you are, and you feel compelled to be true to one ideal or the other. You hide everything from everyone because the thought of the people you care about knowing the real you scares you to your bones.'

He shot a Look at Kurama, who had turned to look at him. His mouth was hanging slightly open.

'You're desperately immature if you think you can simply become either human or demon and forget the other part of you, no matter how much you love that human mother of yours or how much you miss thieving. Lastly, you're a damned fool if you think I wouldn't notice. And because you're in a world of stupid today, I suppose I should tell you that I win; that was the sixth sentence, by the way.'

Kurama's mouth worked slightly as he tried to find words. Hiei was pleased to see it. The fox was entirely too complacent at times.

Hiei turned back to eye the brilliant crimson sunset. He could hear the human stirring in the next room, and he could smell the residue of dream flower pollen in the air. It wasn't enough to affect him, but it was pleasantly soporific. Ah. She must have found his plants again. That generally sent Kurama into a major funk, and made him unbearable company for days. Unfortunate, but necessary. Unless he had the guts to up and tell her the truth, as Yusuke had with Keiko. He doubted Kurama would ever do that.

The fox's room was exactly the right heat in wintertime, set consciously or unconsciously to the equivalent temperature of the Makai at that time of year. There was the subtle scent of Makai there as well, from the plants Kurama had secreted all over the house. Come to think of it, that must be why he heated his room more than necessary. Hiei wondered idly if people who walked past the house sensed that it was a potential death-trap of proportions unknown to anyone except Kurama himself. For every plant Hiei could smell or sense he had no doubt that there were three others he didn't know of. Kurama was the most paranoid demon he had ever met.

After a while, he fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was near midnight, and the tantalising smell of chocolate-chip ice-cream with nuts on top was poking cheerfully at his nose. He sniffed lazily, half-asleep, and heard a muffled snort of laughter from Kurama. 'Gimme,' he said curtly and reached out a hand without opening his eyes. The laughter was less muffled this time, and from the way the smell shifted Kurama was waving it from side to side teasingly. Hiei resisted the instinct to shift his head to track the scent, and opened one eye instead, glaring at the fox before snatching the bowl from his hand and tucking in.

Kurama watched him silently, looking mildly amused. Hiei watched him out of the corner of his eyes. The fox's mood seemed to have changed entirely, but that could be another ploy. The chocolate was definitely a low blow.

'You're being nice,' he said suspiciously. 'Why are you being nice?'

'I'm always nice.'

'Hn.'

'Can't a demon give a demon ice-cream without being suspected of foul play?' Kurama inquired innocently.

'Not you,' Hiei grunted.

'I'm injured.'

'I don't care.'

'Give me the ice-cream back.' Kurama made a grab for it.

Hiei dodged neatly. 'So mature for a millennium-old demon.'

'This could be the onset of senility.'

'I doubt that. I'd say you'd go crazy a long time before you go senile.'

'People say I'm already crazy.'

'That's possible too,' Hiei said magnanimously.

There was silence, as Kurama tried to keep a straight face and Hiei made the ice-cream disappear.

'Don't think I don't know what you're trying.'

'I wasn't aware that I was trying anything, Hiei.'

'Playing the guilt card isn't going to work. I'm not going to be nice just because you gave me chocolate.'

'To be honest,' Kurama said, and it sounded to Hiei as if he was, 'the chocolate was for a different reason.'

'……oh.'

'You're not exactly right about not wanting people to see the real me. I don't mind it if people I care about know who I am.'

'Which is why Kuwabara doesn't know which class you're in at school, you still haven't told Yusuke that you were working for his side at the Makai tournament and your mother's in her room sleeping off the effects of the dream flower pollen.'

Kurama bit his lip. 'Kuwabara's an accident, Yusuke should have known, and it's simply too dangerous for my mother to know.'

'Tell yourself that if it helps. Knowing didn't make life harder for that girl Yusuke goes around with.'

'On the other hand, I find it good that the people that do know me know what they do. While it is true that I don't reveal much, what I do is true.'

'You're going somewhere with this,' Hiei said. 'Presumably.'

'Not really,' Kurama lied transparently.

'Either you want to see exactly how much I've understood, or you want me to think for you. In any case, I will not oblige.'

'Pretty please with me on top?'

That startled a choke out of Hiei as he discovered the subtle difference between ice-cream sliding down the windpipe and same dairy product using the traditional oesophagus. Kurama looked absurdly pleased.

'If you're in this kind of mood, I'm going to leave,' Hiei warned.

'And spoil all my fun?'

'It's worth being wet to get away from you.'

'You could always try Yusuke. Or Yukina. She'd love to talk to you.'

'Is there more chocolate?' Hiei said plaintively. 'If you want me to deal with you I want more chocolate.'

'There isn't,' Kurama said firmly, repressing his chuckles at Hiei's twitch when his twin's name was mentioned. Shiori was already alarmed by the amount of ice-cream her son apparently ingested; a gallon in one night would worry her unnecessarily.

'Hn.' Hiei swung a leg up onto the sill, the other one dangling, and folded his arms, his precious katana tucked within easy reach. His customary pose when he wanted to be Left Alone. He closed his eyes. Kurama sighed and then his warmth moved away, towards the bed. The light clicked off a few minutes later.

There was a rustle of clothing as Kurama undressed. Hiei could track the sounds clearly, and his eyes closed just a little tighter. Then the bed, and he could hear the fox shifting restlessly on the sheets until he found a comfortable position. Hiei snorted. Soft.

'I like my comforts,' Kurama mentioned from the bed.

The best thing about having Kurama around, Hiei reflected, was that he didn't have to explain himself.

Which was what the entire conversation would have turned up at, really, he knew. The nature of understanding was such that it defined the person who was understood. Kurama kept his lives separate because that was the only way he could insulate himself from the effects of his double existence. And as long as they didn't collide, Kurama was in complete control of the situation. Hiei's remarks must have upset him badly.

'Why?' he demanded.

'Why what?' Kurama said sleepily. 'Hiei, I have school in the morning.'

'Why the ice-cream?'

'Because.'

'Because what?'

'Because, because.'

'Definitely insane.'

'Poor people are crazy. I'm eccentric.'

'Why the ice-cream?'

'……it's good to be understood at times.'

'I never expected to hear that from you,' Hiei mused.

'But you see, with the amount of adjustments I have to make to conform completely to everyone's expectations, it really is refreshing to have you around. You see, you're the only person alive who knows exactly what I am; what I was; what I can be. You remind me of what's real. You keep me being me, and that is good.'

There was a long pause in which Hiei's mind tried desperately to cope with the implications of that statement.

'Besides,' Kurama continued, 'you don't really think I'd spend three times as much money on ice-cream every month if you weren't useful, would I?'

Hiei could hear the humour in his voice, and behind his closed eyes he could see the brilliance of Kurama's smile, spreading across his face and into green eyes with too many facets to ever quite memorise, and too many thoughts to ever quite grasp. Although he was getting there. 'Fox.'

'Yes?'

'Shut up. You talk too much.'


	6. A question of trust

_**A question of trust**_

Hiei slashed impatiently at the vines that had trapped his leg a second ago and were currently suspending him from the largest tree in the clearing. Before he hit the ground he was already vanished from Kurama's less keen human senses. The fox moved aside on reflex, and steel whistled past him, slicing a long lock of red hair clean off. The next attack met a whip squarely.

'The trouble with you,' Hiei said, barely sounding out of breath, 'is that your weapon can be broken apart so easily. You have to keep making new ones.'

Kurama formed another one to replace the strand that had been sliced like a salad. He was in considerably worse shape than his opponent. 'And yet I wasn't the one whose sword was broken in the dark tournament….six times, was it?' Subtly, he readied another seed.

Hiei whirled to cut through the large, long-toothed plant that was coming up on him from behind before attacking again. It was a familiar pattern to Kurama, as was his response. Step back, step sideways, duck, block, backflip, duck, twist, block, step sideways……and his leaf blade met the side of Hiei's neck, held in his left hand instead of his right. 'Point.'

Hiei smirked and vanished.

Kurama had enough time to think _damn I hate it when he does that_ before a sword jabbed him in the back.

'Point,' Hiei said smugly. 'And I win.'

Kurama smiled. 'Do you want to stop now?' his clothes were a mess and he'd been wrestled to the ground at least twice. And there were two nasty cuts on his arm and leg that would take an hour or so to deal with.

'Hn. Tired already, human?'

'Not really. I just wanted to give you your antidotes.'

Hiei's shoulders slumped just slightly. 'How many?'

'Two.' He tossed the shorter youkai the vials and Hiei drank them quickly.

'I hate your poisons.'

'It's one of my skills just like that katana is one of yours. I have to practice occasionally. Besides, I don't use the lethal ones on you. Be happy.'

'On _me_, fox?'

'You're handy.'

'You have no principles whatsoever.'

'If you're surprised, so am I. Besides, if it ever came to real combat, you'd kill me with that dragon of yours.'

'Hn. You'd have poisoned me the night before.'

'Possibly,' Kurama said with a faint smile. 'But it's not likely, is it?'

Hiei went over to the hair lying on the ground and poked it with a cautious boot-clad toe. 'Is there something in this?'

Kurama ran his fingers over his hair and frowned before nodding. He went to the hair and knelt down, pulling a tiny shrivelled yellowish seed from it.

Hiei appeared at his shoulder, and before Kurama could protest he picked up the lock of hair, prodding it carefully. 'You know, I've always wondered how you keep those seeds in there. This hair's too soft to be tangled enough.'

Kurama looked smug; at the indirect compliment or the question, Hiei wasn't sure. 'The method's one I came up with. I glue my seeds to my hair beforehand; the adhesive dissolves when it comes into contact with my ki, and the seed comes free as it activates. Simple. And the adhesive works as a conditioner as well, which is good considering some of the body parts I've had to dig out of my hair. Guts are the worst, really; create tangles. They take hours to remove.'

'You're very strange,' Hiei said contemplatively. 'And I didn't really need the image. What's the seed do?'

'It's a powerful sedative that works either when it soaks through the skin or if it's inhaled. I once made it through a well-guarded castle with this seed.' Kurama's eyes were far away. 'The guards didn't even know what hit them.'

Hiei could see it clearly; the silver-and-white figure ghosting through the rooms of sleeping demons, could see the faint smile of contempt on his face.

'What did you get?'

'It wasn't about gain as much as loss,' Kurama replied evasively. 'I didn't leave with anything.'

'Assassination? You were a hired killer?'

'A force for social restructuring,' Kurama corrected mildly.

'I can't believe it.'

'That I'd kill people for money?'

'That you'd work for someone else.'

That startled a laugh out of Kurama. 'You're right, I didn't enjoy that part. But I was young, skilled and dirt-poor. It was a good first profession, although I prefer to steal. And you've never been an assassin?'

'No. It didn't seem worth it.'

Kurama began to laugh.

'What?'

he shook his head.

'_What_?'

'I find it…very ironic…that you're the one they call the ruthless killer.'

Hiei stared at him expressionlessly. 'If you've regained your breath, I'm ready for another match.'

'I have homework.'

In crisp, expressive terms, Hiei told him what he could do with his homework.

He also stated his intent to cut off body parts the kitsune cherished.

Kurama smirked, knowing exactly how empty that threat was. If Hiei was of a mind to vivisect him the Forlorn Hope incident would have given him ample opportunity.

Then he threatened to shave his pretty hair off.

Kurama sighed and reached for his seeds again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Would it ever happen?' Kurama mused over his history homework as Hiei polished his katana.

'What?'

'A fight. Between us.'

Hiei looked at him indifferently. 'It's quite likely.'

Kurama laid his pen down very slowly. 'I should be offended.'

'But you won't be. I'm only being honest, after all.'

'Why are you so convinced I'll turn against you?'

'You've done it thrice already. And that's just in the last decade.'

'I had my reasons then.'

'Of course you did. You always will.'

Hiei never lifted his eyes, but he could clearly track Kurama's movements. The scrape of the chair. The quiet rustle of his shirt against his slacks as he moved. The faint thump of his knees before Hiei. The jaganshi looked up, meeting brilliant, troubled emerald eyes level.

'Hiei,' Kurama said, looking uncertain.

'Save it.'

'You really don't trust me, do you?'

'Do you trust me? Should we trust each other? That's a fool's game, fox. Either one of us would gladly kill the other if the price was right, and you know it.'

'It would be difficult to do that. I'm the richest person I know.' That was simple truth. A millennium of thieving, and being extremely good at it, tended to leave one with some little fortune.

'Not all rewards are physical. For instance, if I was threatening you or your mother. Or if you were attacking Yukina. I doubt either of us would hesitate under such circumstances.'

'I notice you didn't place your life on the list.'

'You don't have the power to kill me,' Hiei said simply. 'In pitched battle, I would win.'

Kurama's eyes glittered dangerously. 'I see.'

Hiei returned to his polishing, eyes cast down, still emotionless. 'I told you to save it. If you insist on having this pointless conversation, I won't be nice.'

'I don't suppose an apology would work?'

'No, it wouldn't.'

Kurama studied Hiei for a full minute. The jaganshi kept his eyes stubbornly averted.

'It must be difficult,' he said, coming so late to a conclusion that should have been blindingly obvious. 'I've turned on you, tricked you, betrayed you. Why do you……'

'You forget. I knew you were untrustworthy. And if you were wondering, I was only surprised the first time. I've learned not to let wishful thinking colour the reality of things.'

'I've been a terrible friend.'

'On the contrary. You've fulfilled all my expectations.'

All his expectations. Kurama winced. He knew Hiei, knew how rarely he opened up to anyone, and how deep the scars of his past ran. It was quite easy for Hiei to accept his actions, because he had never expected any more in the first place.

Which, Kurama realised, was why Yusuke had won Hiei over so completely in such a short time. Yusuke's devotion to his friends was unquestionable, and for some strange reason he had included the jaganshi in that group. It must have been bewildering for the suspicious, lonely Forbidden Child to be the recipient of such unswerving loyalty. Kurama had Hiei's respect, his friendship, reluctant and awkward as it was, perhaps even his affection; but Yusuke held his trust, and that was a priceless gift. One the fox hadn't been given. One he hadn't done anything to deserve.

'The problem,' Kurama said quietly, 'is that there's nothing I can do to counter this. No apology, no promise, no justification will suffice.'

'No,' Hiei replied harshly. 'It won't.'

Kurama waited, and Hiei finished polishing his katana. He held it up, examined it critically in the soft light of sunset, wondered idly why he always seemed to wind up in here even when he didn't mean to be, and studied the fox's reflection in the glittering steel without appearing to do so. Hn. There was a small stain there, high up on the blade.

'You told me something once,' he said quietly, polishing it out. 'When I asked you about your past. You said that there were two kinds of thieves.'

Kurama remembered. ' "There are two kinds of thieves; those who believe they own everything, and those who believe they own nothing." I said that I was of the first kind, and you the second. And that you were the wrong kind.'

'So are you.'

'What does this–'

'Because you believe you own everything. Figure it out, fox.'

It was like the very last instant of solving a puzzle, that final perfect moment before everything slid into place and the game was over.

There were things he couldn't own, of course there were. Youko would never have understood that, the cold brilliance of his mind blinding him to subtler emotional currents. Shuuichi had never quite grasped the sheer arrogance of the youkai thief either. It was the melding point – Kurama – that had the chance to grasp that essential lesson. He had so easily turned on Hiei because he still believed that their friendship was another possession, his to use and discard as he pleased. And Kurama now had an idea why Hiei hadn't disembowelled him the first time he walked out on the triumvirate; the jaganshi was, after all, a thief who believed he owned nothing. Worth nothing. What was another betrayal in a life littered with them?

But now Hiei was laying down a rule. _You can't own me_, he was saying. He knew exactly what Kurama was thinking, just as his few words were enough for the fox to know what was happening. _I am not a possession. _And if there was anything his time as a human had taught him, it was that some things had to be stolen, some fought for, and some……earned. He could force anyone into submission, but that was hardly what he wanted, not from Hiei, not from someone he respected and cared for. Hiei couldn't be caged and owned and possessed any more than Kurama himself could; and even if he somehow succeeded it would kill the very things he desired in Hiei; the strength, the determination, the stubborn refusal to bend before overwhelming odds, his twisted brand of honour, even the compassion and humour that lurked deep within.

It was a challenge. _Earn my trust,_ Hiei was saying, _and you'll receive it. I won't be owned. You'll have to deserve me. If you want me._ That was perhaps the most important of all. For some reason, Hiei sincerely believed that he wasn't worthy of anyone's loyalty, and no matter how much he had changed in the years since Kurama had met him, that wound was yet to heal.

And this time, if Kurama screwed up, he wasn't going to get another chance.

_If you want me……_

The katana slid smoothly home, and Hiei stood.

'Then I have a favour to ask of you,' Kurama said, as if the long, long silence had only lasted seconds. 'You see, there's only one way I can ever really make it up to you, and that takes time. A lot of time.'

Hiei waited.

'Trust. Yours, to be specific. It's going to take me a very long time to earn it back, especially since you've no reason at all to give it to me any more. I w…need you to…I…want that time, Hiei. I need you to not disappear.'

'Time,' Hiei mused finally.

Kurama exhaled. Sometimes interacting with Hiei was exactly like pulling teeth.

Then again, he supposed, dealing with himself wasn't a basket of fruits for Hiei either.

'Time?' he said hopefully. The way they were, Hiei standing and Kurama kneeling, the jaganshi was actually the taller of the two. Dispassionate red eyes regarded him.

'It won't be quick. It won't be easy. And it won't be worth the trouble I'll put you through.'

'I don't care,' Kurama said, and was a little surprised at how very much he meant it. 'And how much effort you're worth is for me to judge.'

Hiei turned away. 'Very well,' he said coolly, but his shoulders had lost a little tension, and when he turned back he met Kurama's eyes with a faintly questioning gaze. There was a little vulnerability there as well, something he had seen before, but unmasked by the anger that had always protected it. The past was there as well; _their_ past, stark and clear, and the fox resisted the urge to flinch away from the indictment.

Now Kurama walked away from an alliance of thieves, melting into the warm rainy night, and the swift, stinging lash of a whip when Hiei made to follow……

Now Hiei reeled, the jagan blocked by the thick, sticky blood of a youkai……trapped, imprisoned, press-ganged into risking his life a hundred times as parole……

And the third time Hiei walked away first, knowing the consequences of the decisions they had made; now they were enemies again, and he found himself almost wanting that final confrontation……and almost regretting it when the war was never fought……

'Snap out of it,' Hiei said roughly, and he jerked back to his senses.

What Kurama did next would have made Youko sneer at human frailty and Shuuichi gape at his boldness. For once, he didn't compare himself to youkai or human; he simply acted, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around Hiei in a tight hug.

The jaganshi froze, his arms lying still at his sides, and though Kurama couldn't see his face he knew it would be blank in astonishment. He had never touched Hiei before. Sparring was one thing, and patching up his numerous wounds another, but this touch was different. And judging by his response, Hiei had been completely unprepared for it. There were clearly indicated boundaries in their relationship, boundaries the fox had ignored.

But this wasn't the time for rational thinking, not really, not after he'd already done something that would probably fetch him his head on a platter once Hiei recovered from the shock, unless Hiei decided to Do Things Well and use his dragon instead. Hiei was hard and tense against his body, resisting; he could sense the tightness in his shoulder blades and muscled upper arms, and he smelled of trees, fire, earth and a faint undertone of metallic blood-taste; smelled like the home Kurama had been forced to leave behind too many times. And there wasn't any gel in his hair, it grew like that naturally; Kurama had solved a puzzle that had tormented Yusuke for the better part of six years simply by putting his cheek next to it. Although he could do with shampooing, conditioning and some vigorous brushing…then again, Hiei never took pride in being healthy, only strong. Kurama made a mental note to introduce Hiei to hair-care the next time he came around. If he was alive for there to be a next time, he thought darkly.

'Fox……' Hiei said in a hoarse, panicky whisper. Knowing what was coming, Kurama tightened his hold instinctively, but it didn't help him when the smaller youkai, using his superior physical strength, pushed him away. Kurama staggered backwards. Hiei took advantage of the half-second it gave him and blinked out of sight, nearly breaking the window as he slammed it open.

Kurama didn't say anything, sensing Hiei's youki speeding away at a tremendous rate. It paused briefly a few kilometres away and then blinked out completely.

He wasn't going to fail, not at this. He never failed at anything, but this most of all he could not afford to lose.

Some things he stole; he was, after all, a law unto himself, unfettered by the conditions that trapped others, breaking all convention; he was the last man standing and he was proud of it. Some, he fought for; because he repaid his debts, because he loved, because he knew what it was to be given unconditional love and devotion and it had changed him forever………

Some, he would earn.

* * *

A/N: eh, the longest yet, and rather weird. So few reviews for the last one, oh well……anyway, should I pursue the hair thing? It might be wildly funny……or very sweet……let me know. 


	7. The inclination of hairdressers

_**The inclination of hairdressers**_

It was now two weeks since the Hug Incident, as Kurama referred to it, and for approximately the same length of time the fox had gained a shadow. A short black one that followed him everywhere, at a discreet distance, radiating vibes of Not Wanting To Be Found. It followed him to university, to his home, to the little garden he had made for himself in the inner-city neighbourhoods, even to the grocery store. It was flattering, to be sure, but also vaguely irritating.

Kurama was many things, but he was a thief above all, and as a thief he had patience down to a fine art. He also knew that Hiei was nearly as curious as he was, and rash to boot and it would eventually lead him to seek Kurama out.

To his credit, Hiei lasted nearly three weeks before he slipped in Kurama's window again. When he did, he glared at Kurama defiantly, daring him to say anything. The fox merely smiled at him, laying down the brush he had been running through his hair.

'Hiei. It's good to see you again. It's been a while.'

'Are you being funny?'

'Would I do such a thing?'

'You can't have not noticed that I–' Hiei cut off as he realised that he'd just been tricked into admitting what he'd wanted Kurama to say.

'Noticed what?' Kurama said with a smirk and then returned to brushing his hair.

Hiei glared at him wordlessly and flopped onto the unoccupied bed.

'Hey, Hiei.'

'Wrr?'

'Why do you always come here if you never want to talk?'

'We talk.'

'Once a week or so. Mostly you just sit there and stare into space unless I badger you.'

'I don't like to talk.'

'So why do you come here?'

'It's the chocolate,' Hiei said with a straight face.

'I see.' Kurama finished brushing his hair. 'Question.'

'What does it take to make you shut up?'

'I said I wanted to ask a question, not answer one.'

'Will it make you shut up?' Hiei said wearily, eyes closed.

'Maybe.'

'Hn.'

'When was the last time you brushed your hair?'

One red eye peeked open. 'What?'

'Hair. Brush. When?'

Hiei considered that. 'A year?' he said doubtfully. Youkai hair didn't need maintaining, after all, it wasn't like he'd go bald or something. Then Hiei noticed the speculative look the fox was giving the brush. 'No,' he said firmly. 'Not in a million years, not for all the worlds.'

'Hiieii,' he wheedled. And was that the infamous Youko version of puppy eyes? 'Come on, it's good for you.'

'I am not letting you anywhere near my hair, fox!'

'Pleeease? I'll be nice, I promise. Besides, you really should brush your hair if you want it to look well cared for and lustrous.'

'Didn't you hear me? I said no!'

'What's the matter? Chicken? Or is the great Hiei……ticklish?' Green eyes sparkled with bright mockery as he flinched. 'I see I've got it.'

'I am not……what you said.'

Game, set, match. 'Prove it,' Kurama said and smirked. 'I dare you.'

'Give me that damned brush.'

'Uh-uh. The deal was that I'd do it. You can't tickle yourself, you know.'

Hiei huffed. 'Fine. Do your worst.' He turned his back to Kurama and sat stiffly on the bed.

'Not so fast.'

'What now?'

'Well, if you haven't brushed it in a year, there's bound to be all sorts of muck in there. Bark, leaves, mud, not to mention parts of whoever you killed.'

'I bathe once a week.'

'That's disgusting. Besides, I bet you don't use shampoo.'

'If you use any of your girly concoctions on me, fox, I'll rip your guts out.'

'They are _not_ girly.'

'Lavender and patchouli body wash. _So_ girly.'

Kurama smiled serenely. 'What's girly is that you, who are otherwise woefully ignorant of botany, can recognise them. ……I didn't know you knew how I smelled.'

Not deigning to answer that, Hiei stood and stalked over to the bathroom. 'What the hell are you waiting for?' he snapped.

Kurama smiled slightly as he followed him. He hadn't expected Hiei to give in at all.

Hiei surveyed the bathroom sceptically. Makai showers operated on a completely different system, and this one was slightly confusing. There was a raised tub, which was familiar, so he shrugged his cloak off and sat down on the edge, facing outwards. He wasn't going to take his top off, not for all the jewels in the world, dare or not. Kurama moved around the room, pulling stoppers off several jars and sniffing them thoughtfully.

Hiei tensed when he felt a large, soft sheet of some rubbery material wrap around his neck and pin at the front, then relaxed when his senses told him it was just a piece of clothing.

'You're not this jumpy when you're going into battle,' Kurama said, clearly amused. 'This is just to keep the water off your top.'

Hiei didn't respond.

Kurama moved behind him, took the hand shower off its hook and began washing Hiei's hair with quick, methodical fingers.

'You've done this before.'

'Of course. I told you; I know almost everything about plants. Medicinal, deadly……health is also strength, you know. Even something as apparently insignificant as hair, when cared for well, can promote a feeling of well-being and relaxation, improve concentration and focus the mind.'

'That's not why you spend so much time on it,' Hiei accused.

'No. I'm just vain. I also spent some time as a hairdresser once, in a castle.'

'For the fun of dressing hair.'

Kurama's face was hidden, but Hiei knew to an inch the shifty expression that would be there. 'Not…exactly.'

So. A cover then. Still, the fox knew what he was doing, that was obvious. He was rubbing in some shampoo now. It smelled of pine. Pine was good. Pine was not girly. Pine would not result in amused remarks when he returned to Mukuro's base in a couple of weeks. At least this was a long holiday. Between her and Kurama it seemed he couldn't go anywhere without being laughed at, nagged, coerced and ruthlessly teased. It was unfair. And Kurama's talented fingers were digging into his scalp, easing out old tangles and smoothing the hair, easing out tension he didn't even know he had. He thought of mentioning his problems to him, but the fox would just tilt a red eyebrow and ask him why he came here if he detested the company so much and that would be awkward, because Hiei didn't believe in self-analysis and finding the answer to that involved a lot of it. Nice fingers. Warm water. Really nice, and the pines smelled just like a forest where he could rest his back on a comfortable branch and just……close his eyes……

'Are you falling asleep?' Kurama said with laughter in his voice.

Hiei jerked back upright. 'No,' he growled. 'Have I recently mentioned that I hate you?'

'Are we talking implications, body language or outright words?'

'Really hate you.'

Kurama snickered. 'Your hair is in terrible shape. Don't you have any pride?'

'I can still kill you.'

'Of course you can,' Kurama said magnanimously. 'But you won't.' He began to rinse the shampoo out for the second time, foam running down into the tub. Hiei snorted and began an intense contemplation of the tiles. Kurama opened another jar, and the cloying smell of roses filled the air.

'Fox,' Hiei said warningly.

'Kidding,' Kurama said cheerily and stoppered it before he began to rub a different potion into Hiei's hair.

'What the hell is that?'

'Old Indian recipe for hair-care. Bhringaraja for detangling, hibiscus leaves for cleaning, and a little margosa oil in case you're, well, inhabited; a bit of jasmine for scent. And a few Makai herbs to soften the hair; they're much more effective than anything this world has. You need it more than I do.'

'Hn.'

'Hey, Hiei.'

'Don't you ever run out of questions?' Hiei demanded irascibly.

'Occasionally. While I'm thinking of new ones.'

'I thought those were cats,' Hiei grumbled somewhat obscurely.

Kurama grinned. 'Merely rumours. You know how things get twisted over time. I state, as evidence, that picture of you that made it into the newspapers a couple of years ago.'

Hiei twitched. Yusuke and Kurama had made a trip into the Makai specifically to deliver a copy to Hiei, and another to Mukuro. They'd found the whole thing wildly funny and had spent a long evening with Mukuro, regaling her with the most embarrassing stories of him they could remember. It hadn't been pretty. Nothing like the two people who had seen you at your worst (and who were both slightly tipsy) getting cosy with your boss, who happened to have a sadistic sense of humour and a love for pushing buttons.

'Hiiieiii……'

'Get it over with,' he grunted.

'Have you ever been hugged before?'

Hiei promptly choked. Shampoo went everywhere.

'……I'll take that as a no.'

There was a long, thoughtful silence. Kurama finished rinsing out the conditioner and began towelling his hair dry, his actions brisk and professional.

'Actually, Yusuke tried once.'

The hands stopped and then started again, slower. 'Did he now.'

'He was dead drunk. Five minutes before that he was dancing with Kuwabara.'

'And when did you people have this orgy of yours?'

'It wasn't an orgy,' Hiei said with far more emphasis than required. 'It was the night after we won the Dark Tournament, on the ship back. The oaf decided that alcohol was a good way to celebrate Genkai not being dead and they were both rather……enthusiastic about drinking it. You were completely out of it; I don't think you even noticed that something was going on.' Which wasn't surprising, considering Karasu had almost ripped him to shreds the morning before.

'Oh. And what did you do to Yusuke?'

'Black eye,' Hiei said curtly. 'I didn't want to hit him too hard, though; he looked like he'd collapse if a bird sat on him. I still thought he was human back then, and I didn't want to go back to prison.'

'Then I guess I got off lightly.'

'Hn. You grow up with bandits, you learn to get antsy when someone touches you. For any reason. I was a child, and I was supposedly incapable of fighting back. I had to kill a lot of them before they all laid off me.'

'Oh, Hiei,' Kurama sighed. He, too, had grown up in rough company, but youkos tended to be protective of their young and his childhood had been safe, if not idyllic. And he could read between the lines of Hiei's simple statement.

'I don't want your pity,' Hiei snapped.

'I know,' Kurama murmured. 'Right. Let's move out of here. Do you feel better now?'

He did, Hiei realised. His hair was almost dry, and he felt different. Energised, relaxed, and his hair and scalp actually felt lighter, cooler and……aired out, even if his hair was still sticking up in its customary what-is-this-'gravity'-you-speak-of style. There was the faint tangy scent of the conditioner in his nostrils. Wondering at how much better he suddenly felt, Hiei stripped the rubbery cloth off, followed Kurama back out and sat cross-legged on the window sill. He felt a brief flare of ki as Kurama activated a seed, and then the fox began working some sort of oil into his hair and scalp, standing behind him, which placed them at approximately the same height. A few minutes passed, and then he felt Kurama's hands tremble slightly as he shook with laughter.

'Hiei, you're humming.'

'Hn.'

'It was almost tuneful, actually. I wonder if you can sing.'

'Dare me to and I'll serenade you at your funeral.'

Kurama subsided, although he was still chuckling. He began to brush Hiei's hair; it slid easily through now that his hair was cleaned and tangle-free.

A minute or two later, Hiei realised that he was, indeed, humming. He stopped immediately, but the damage was done. Kurama finished the back of his hair and began to brush the bushy sides. The movement of the brush was easy and Hiei's eyelids began to droop.

'So,' Kurama mused, 'your little display of screaming panic when I hugged you was more a reflex action than something directed at me personally……am I right?'

The tension he had worked out so painstakingly came flooding back. Hiei didn't say a word.

'Understand this, Hiei. I don't pity you. Pity is a fool's consideration for an incompetent. If I thought you weren't my equal, I would never call you friend. I may seem to be a nice guy but you of all people know exactly how far my loyalty goes – both to those I give it to and those I don't. However, I do find it tragic that you don't have the simplest exposure to physical displays of affection.'

It was. Kurama found it hard to become truly close with people, but he knew well the peace and comfort a friendly touch could bring; he was a fox after all, a creature of the senses, and he enjoyed the occasional cuddle as much as anyone. He felt Hiei draw in a breath to speak and cut him off, knowing that he was going to make some sort of death threat.

'Don't tell me you're going to damage my voice box again. We both know that's rubbish. Besides, it's not like I'm trying to kill you or molest you. It's just a simple……hug……'

He leaned closer to Hiei until his red forelocks brushed the jaganshi's neck. The smaller youkai flinched.

'Touch is a wonderful thing, Hiei. It can soothe, it can stimulate, it can draw out emotions we don't even know we have; it can make the worst moments seem a little better and make some good ones as well.'

Carefully, warning him well in advance, his arms inched around Hiei until they met around his torso, wrapping securely around him, one at the chest, and the other at the stomach. Every muscle he felt was taut with strain.

'I know you have reason to fear touch; I know the instincts that are telling you to run right now. I have them too. The difference between me and you is……I know when to listen, and you've never had reason not to.'

'Don't touch me,' Hiei whispered. The jaganshi was absolutely still; he wasn't even breathing.

'Bullshit,' Kurama replied instantly, venomously, his tone in direct contrast to the gentle hands that pulled them closer. 'I know exactly how lethal you are, Hiei. If you wanted me dead I'd be dead by now. If you really hated being touched – if some part of you didn't want this – you'd have done a lot worse to me than ripping out my throat.'

Closer, and suddenly they couldn't be. Kurama's chest pressed to Hiei's back, heads almost cheek to cheek. A part of him wanted to relish the hug, to make it more than a hug, but he suppressed it. This was the wrong moment to allow desire to take over. This was friendship and healing, pure and simple; the jaganshi wasn't prepared for more at this point, and Kurama knew better than to push him.

'You know……' he said with forced lightness, 'I wonder if there's some sort of quota on how many hugs a person should get in their life. I suppose there would be; karma and all that, right? And if people around you have been so inexcusably impolite as to not hug you properly, I suppose it's my duty as a friend to make up for it, right?'

Hiei made some sort of noise. Kurama could feel the fine tremors racing through him, could feel Hiei's instincts fighting, trying to take over and slash at this threat which had attacked from behind. Could feel Hiei fighting them in return. The youkai began to shake, but the near-convulsive movement ceased when Kurama held him tighter and rocked slightly, dropping his forehead to Hiei's shoulder; the kind of hug he had received from his mother as a toddler, sweet and reassuring and very very addictive. Slowly, slowly, almost too slow, Hiei relaxed, although he still made no sound. At least he was breathing now.

Enough. More would be too much. He stepped back, loosened his arms. Hiei's small sigh of relief was unmistakable, but he wasn't offended. What he was trying to do would take time and patience and care, and if he became angry now it would be counter-productive.

'Now. That wasn't so bad, was it.'

Hiei didn't say anything; he just sat there with his back to Kurama. The fox returned to brushing his hair, his motions impersonal, as they had been throughout the treatment. Hiei seemed to sense the difference in his actions and relaxed further, bracing his arms behind him and slumping down. Kurama gave him ten minutes.

'Hiei?'

Nothing.

'Hiei……say something.'

Still nothing.

'You're not angry, are you?'

No reply

'Hiei?'

He leaned forward to see what Hiei was thinking, and his eyes widened when he saw his face. _Well, if he can do it in trees, I suppose this would be easy……_

Hiei was fast asleep. The purpose of the shampooing and massage had been to relax the body, and Hiei, who had obviously never faced anything like it, was out like a light. Trying desperately not to giggle, he shifted the unconscious jaganshi over until his back rested more comfortably on the wall of the window before changing into his nightclothes and flopping down on the bed.

As a first step, this was good, he thought as he fell asleep.

He didn't notice the wary crimson eyes that watched him – wondering, afraid, hoping.

A/N: well, so there's the sequel to the previous one. I may take it from here, or not. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, including foxykurama and greenmeat; sorry I can't thank you personally! The hair care thing is genuine, but the herbs are mixed slightly differently and it should be followed up with frankincense burned under the hair to give it fragrance...sorry. Rambling. If anyone has ideas, they are welcome to run it by me; no hard-core stuff or deathfics, anything else goes!


	8. A partner in crime

_**A partner in crime**_

'No.'

'You haven't even heard the terms.'

'I'm not interested.'

Kurama huffed, annoyed. 'Honestly, Hiei, do you always have to be so difficult?'

'I don't care what your reasons are, I. Am. Not. Going. To. Obey. Him.'

Hiei leaned against the wall and watched him calmly; tried not to feel the absence of his katana, or the presence of the multitude of wards that were keeping him powerless, his jagan closed and his body almost immobile. Kurama wasn't much better off, but at least he could walk.

'That mother of yours,' he said casually. 'She's why you're in such a hurry to leave here.'

'Don't even start with that, Hiei.'

'Looks like even the great Kurama has weaknesses, doesn't it.'

Kurama glared at him, icy in the face of his fire.

'I wonder what's going to happen to her now that you're not there. It's been, what, three weeks now since they dumped us in here? That town's a hotbed of youkai activity anyway, and it's going to get worse without your little vigilante activities. They'll be moving in on your little territory any time n–'

'Shut up! Just…shut up.'

'Oh, is the little thief scared for his pretend mother? How touching.'

'Damn it, Hiei!' He caught two handfuls of black cloak and yanked the little jaganshi forward. Chains clashed against each other. 'This is my last chance. And I am _not_ going to lose it because of your pride, do you hear me?'

Red eyes narrowed dangerously. 'Take your hands off me.'

Some measure of control returned to Kurama's eyes, and his grip slowly relaxed. 'Why? I thought you wanted a fight.'

'I've already fought you. Twice.'

'And look how well you came out both times.'

'You cheated.'

'Yes.' Kurama smirked. 'But I won.'

'You can't make me agree to a thing, Kurama.'

'I know,' he admitted. 'You're not to be manipulated.'

'Then stop trying.'

'It's not manipulation if you don't even know what I'd rather you did.'

'You're going to tell me anyway.'

Kurama chuckled once, mirthlessly. 'Ah. Yes. You do know me.'

Hiei closed his eyes and slid down the wall with the six or so of his muscles that were still capable of functioning normally until he was sitting on the floor. He felt Kurama flop down next to him, smooth rustle of silk against the wall, and heard him hiss in pain. 'Hole in the stomach bothering you?'

'You do a thorough job. But I think you missed the vitals.'

'An inch to the side and you would be dead.'

'Not a chance.' Again that chuckle, amused in a weary sort of way. Hiei wanted to see his expression, but opening his eyes would indicate interest, so he didn't.

'Really, why?'

'You saw me coming. You're too fast not to.'

'You seem extremely confident that I won't kill you. That's foolish.'

'And yet I would say that if anyone knew how to skewer a person right, it would be you.'

'Hn.'

'Koenma offered a sort of parole. Community service, if you will. We're supposed to assist Yusuke, of all people, on some cases. Although I also got the impression that we would be required for the occasional quiet assassination on the side, where using a legitimate detective would be illegal. He promised to wipe our slates clean at the end of it. He's waiting for an answer, and he'll be waiting for the next hour. Apparently, he's got a case all lined up already.'

'What's in it for me? There's no jail in Spirit World I won't break out of eventually.'

'Yukina.'

There were two hands around his neck before he could blink. Not crushing, not yet, but the pressure was real, and he was fairly certain that there would be bruises. Kurama refused to flinch.

'How do you know that name?' Hiei gritted.

'You have nightmares, Hiei,' Kurama said quietly. 'And I've been hearing your voice in my head ever since we pulled that job.'

Hiei cursed, seven unprintable words in deliberate succession, and let go of Kurama's throat. The redhead looked away, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing him massage his throat.

'I knew setting up that link was a mistake.' And why, he wondered briefly, hadn't he disconnected it the moment the job was over?

'The heist wouldn't have worked without it and you know it. Besides, it's not like I can hear your thoughts or anything.'

'You heard enough.'

'I heard a name, that's all.' Kurama corrected. 'You're the one who just told me what she means to you. A lover, perhaps?'

Too late, Hiei realised that he'd fallen for the oldest trick in the book. 'Not a lover,' he grunted.

'Oh. Well. She's somewhere in the Ningenkai, judging by your reaction. And who knows how long she's going to be there. On the other hand, if you had to spend months there to help with the cases, you'd ostensibly have a lot of time to spare to search for her.'

'Why are you so keen to get me out of here anyway? I thought you'd have worked a deal for yourself by now, what with your spending half of last week arguing with Koenma.'

'I did. But he wants both of us, or neither. He said he didn't trust either of us alone.'

'You're lying.'

Kurama looked at him, surprised.

'I can tell, Kurama. I'm not stupid.'

'Oh. Well, then.'

'I'm not leaving here until I know just what the deal is.'

'It's exactly what I told you.'

'The _whole_ deal, Kurama.'

The redhead sighed. 'If you must know, I insisted on your parole along with mine. Koenma doesn't trust you as far as he can throw you, and I doubt he can even pick you up.'

'He's an idiot. Does he really think you're less dangerous to him because you're in human form?'

'I'm flattered,' Kurama said solemnly. 'In any case, he can't lock me up because I'm technically human; I've only been here this long because it took him two weeks to stop pouting and admit I found a loophole in the laws. And after that, because I was arguing for clemency for you. Of course, now that he's agreed, if you don't accept the offer I'll wind up in prison right next to you.'

'You seem terribly certain that I'm going to accept this……offer.'

'I wasn't. I'm not,' Kurama said, and there was only honesty in his voice.

'Hn.'

There was no sound for the next five minutes.

'What's this case?' Hiei said finally, a hostile edge to his voice, daring Kurama to make any comment.

He didn't. He merely exhaled slightly in relief. 'Something to do with the Four Saint Beasts, I think. They seem to be threatening the human world somehow. I don't have the details yet.'

'Suzaku's lot, eh.'

'Yeah. Second-rate pretenders.'

'I never did like them.'

'I presume you're in, then.'

'Hn.'

'Excellent. You know, I think Yusuke's going to be assigned that case too. I do hope you'll restrain your instincts around him until the case is over.'

'Maybe. '

'It's very strange. Sometimes you sound almost as if you like him.'

'Shut up, fox.'

'Ah, so I'm back to "fox", am I?'

'Don't you have a world to save or something?'

'I thought you were in as well?'

'I serve my own purposes. And I don't like anyone.'

Kurama smirked. 'Sure you don't.'


	9. Explaining Hiei

A/N: I have NO idea where this one came from. It was supposed to be a stand-alone, but I felt it would work here. Enjoy.

_**Explaining Hiei**_

It was all their biology sub's fault, Kurama mused. He was the one who'd decided that since their teacher had taken a month off to heal a broken bone, he needed to spend the time teaching them to love Nature and be environmentally conscious citizens. And one of the school trips he had arranged just had to be the forest where Hiei usually hung out when he was Being Gloomy and wanted to be Left Alone. Hiei's moods tended to inspire capital letters.

It was with a certain amount of apprehension that he felt his biology sub – he wasn't a youkai, but if Kurama had been a normal human being, he would have suspected some supernatural instinct at work – guide them unerringly to where he could sense Hiei's aura emitting strong vibes of 'I'm Asleep, and the Person to Wake Me Had Better Make Arrangements With Koenma Beforehand.'

Hiei slept rarely, but deeply, and he generally didn't bother to wake himself unless he sensed a demon aura. And since he was quite blasé about dropping off in Kurama's window ledge or, more rarely, on his bed (in addition to falling asleep quite coolly every time he used his dragon) he didn't really mind the redhead's presence. It did tend to wake him, though.

When he dropped from the branch of a tree right into the middle of Kurama's little group of adoring fangirls and idolisers, the fox wasn't surprised. Dismayed, annoyed, but not surprised. After all, life was a series of catastrophes. The only solution: Play it quick, play it easy. This was probably Hiei's revenge for being interrupted in his slumber: refined torture of Minamino Shuuichi, aka Youko Kurama.

The students around him had all fallen very very quiet and were staring at the apparition in front of them, complete with strange clothing, headband (at least the jagan wasn't open. A wide, blinking third eye in the forehead usually inspired screams) and sword (which looked unpleasantly real, pointy and sharp). One girl gave a little gasp and nearly fainted.

'Hiei, hi!' Kurama said cheerily, hoping to all the gods that Hiei would use his human name, and trying not to cringe at how odd the jaganshi's name must sound to the others.

No such luck. 'Kurama,' Hiei grunted. 'What the hell are these idiots doing here with you?'

Play it easy, fox. You've gotten out of stickier messes than this one. 'Why, what do you expect? I'm on a school trip,' he smiled. Green eyes narrowed dangerously behind a wide, innocent smile that would have made the most suspicious policeman say oh no, the bloody knife was just a coincidence; this boy couldn't harm a flea. There was a promise of death in those eyes. Hiei's, to be specific.

'School trip?' Oh, you mean that stupid human thing you go to. Ch. What a waste of time.'

Really going to kill him. With death flowers, or something more painful that he would come up with once his poor short-circuited brain kick-started. How was he supposed to respond?

Luckily, Hiei didn't give him the chance. 'Pah. I'll be by your room later.' And with that final devastatingly incriminating statement, he walked leisurely away. Even though most of the students were twice his size, they all made way for him. Something about him just seemed to require it. The deathly silence lasted for as long as Hiei was in sight.

The minute he disappeared, though, the questions started.

'Who the heck was that?' from their biology sub. 'Doesn't he go to school?'

'How do you know him?' from Yomiko, who had been chasing him determinedly from sixth grade.

'What did he call you?' someone else asked.

'Was that a real sword?' from one of the video-game freaks from class 3.

'……wait a minute. Your room?' they all chorused.

Oh, Inari. Kill me now. Nothing spectacular, just a bolt of lightning or an unexplained fissure in the earth.

Dimly, he could sense Hiei's aura drawing closer to him. The bloody imp settled on the same tree he had been on, and Kurama could just bet that he was waiting to see how the fox would dig himself out of this trap. He was probably laughing, Kurama thought bitterly.

Well, two could play at the game.

The nature trip was completely forgotten. Those who hadn't actually heard Hiei had seen him, and now the entire group of about fifty was gathered around him, expecting some juicy revelation about the student who was simply too good to be true.

'Hiei is……' Kurama started and let the suspense build. It looked like he was drawing it out, but that was all the time he needed to come up with a plausible response. 'A friend of mine I met online. He's wearing an RPG costume.'

'A what?' said the biology sub, thereby proving that he was not only a moron but culturally outdated.

'An RPG. A role-playing game. Except that we don't play it on a computer.' Kurama smiled, the story clicking into place now that the base lie was established. Now to pile truth upon truth on it. 'We met when I was twelve or so in a chat room, and we started playing as a team soon after that. There are more than ten of us who play it now. We have a club and all.' A temple, not a club, but it worked, right?

'He has a sword,' the video-game freak insisted stubbornly. Kurama wondered if he had a thing for phallic symbols.

'Yeah, he's really weird,' Kurama said with some relish. 'He insists on wearing his costume all the time, and I have to call him by his character's name. And he keeps calling me by mine.'

'Doesn't sound like he has much of a life,' Yomiko commented. 'Freak.' Above her, Hiei's aura turned several colours in rapid succession.

'No, he doesn't,' Kurama agreed, all pious compassion.

'So what is this RPG anyway?' the video-game freak asked. Kurama tried to remember his name and failed miserably. Oh, well. 'It must be pretty weird if the costumes are this bad.'

Pure outrage filtered through the branches to Kurama's invisible antennae. The devil that had been the cause of several – okay, most – of Youko's more infamous escapades looked around and squealed gleefully before coming up with a brilliant plan and nudging Kurama in the side and leering, "Hey, what about it?" the fox, who had believed that the best thing to do to temptation was to give in to it several centuries before Oscar Wilde had made the same statement, accepted. 'It's called Spirit Detectives,' Kurama said. Above him, Hiei made a noise of sheer disbelief, audible only to Kurama's ears.

'Spirit Detectives,' murmured through the group. Several seemed satisfied with that and drifted away to more interesting pastures. The few who remained – fangirls, mostly, although the sub hadn't given up either – looked at him with question marks in their eyes. Kurama continued, rather beginning to enjoy himself. 'Yeah. Hiei's this ex-crook demon who got caught because he slipped up on a job, and now he has to help the Spirit Detectives with their investigations of demon activity in the human world. Which doesn't make him happy, but unless he does it he won't get pardoned.' Kurama carefully didn't think about or look towards the tree. He had a bit of a hunch that he would end up a small pile of ashes if he did.

'And what's _your_ character, Shuu-chan?' Rika cooed. Kurama, who was in some ways even touchier than Hiei about personal space and courtesy and who strongly objected to being called _Shuu-chan_, restrained several of his baser, more psychotic instincts and turned to her with a sweet smile.

'I'm Hiei's partner, of course,' he said, and watched wheels turn visibly in her otherwise empty head as she wondered about all the implications in that statement. Above him, seething rage had subsided. Slightly. And there was curiosity there. 'I was with him on the job where he got caught. I was actually a famous demon thief once, a fox spirit who went by the name of Youko Kurama. He died, and was reincarnated as me, but with most of his powers and all his memories. We work with the other two Spirit Detectives now, although,' he added, because Kurama had always been suicidal that way, 'I must say that my character has more grace in adversity than he does.' Kurama was really getting into this now.

'Oh, _that_ kind of partner,' Rika said with some relief. She was cooing again. The woman was pigeon-brained.

Kurama winced. There was no answer to that question that would work. The aura above him had gone absolutely blank, and he could only guess whether it was shock or control. 'Our relationship is strictly work-based,' he said, and that was the truth, because he had never had the courage to put the moves on Hiei and he certainly hadn't tried either, although there were some moments when he saw Hiei watching him and he could swear that there was something in those red, red eyes……

'Fox spirit!' Yomiko crowed, jolting him neatly out of his thoughts. 'So that's why you've dyed your hair that ridiculous shade of red! Man, you really take this so seriously!'

'Err,' said Kurama, who had always loved his hair. The devil nudged him again, and, 'My _real_ hair colour's quite different, you know,' he offered, since it was the safest option. Silver hair. Youko.

'Oh, _I_ knew,' Rika said smugly, and he really did have a lot of self-control, because he wasn't laughing at all, not a bit. And neither was Hiei, but had he heard a choked snort?

Kurama shrugged. In for a penny…… 'You could say it's almost life and death for us. It's a very exclusive game, you see, and it's very absorbing. It takes up a lot of time and energy.'

'Doesn't he go to school?' the sub asked again.

'Well, he graduated early,' Kurama shrugged. 'He's kind of shrimpy, but don't let that fool you. He's older than he looks.' He could almost see the smoke now……there, one fox, deep-fried in his own juice, take it to table 43 please and serve it to the guy with the spiky starburst hair.

Luckily, before his inner masochist could get him in any further trouble with Hiei, the group lost interest and dispersed. Kurama sighed, covered his face with his hands and repressed another strong urge to giggle helplessly.

Hiei was dreadfully predictable, especially to those who knew him well – Kurama was on a short list of about three people. So he walked a short distance away from the others and waited.

Soon enough, Hiei dropped out of the branches and glared at him, arms folded across his chest. 'A shrimp, fox?' he inquired icily.

Kurama arched a red eyebrow at him in a look that said silently – you asked for it.

'Still, you didn't have to turn me into a……whatever it was.'

Kurama reflected, not for the first time, that Hiei's lack of knowledge of human technology was a good thing. 'Oh, but it was such fun,' he said and resisted the urge to bat his eyelashes insincerely. 'And you have to admit that I was as truthful as I could be under the circumstances.'

Hiei nearly choked. 'Truthful? You……' he struggled visibly for words and then gave up. Had he been anyone else he would have thrown his hands in the air.

'And you have to admit,' said Kurama solemnly, 'that this really isn't my actual hair colour.' And then it spilled out – not his usual laughter or Youko's smirk, but embarrassingly impolite chuckles and guffaws, interspersed with snorts. Hiei watched him with the What the Hell is Happening look that he usually reserved for some of Kuwabara's more outlandish antics.

'I give up,' he announced finally.

'Well, there is a good side to it,' Kurama said. 'At least you won't get in too much trouble if you're seen around my school. By this evening, this news is going to be all over the school. And most of Tokyo, perhaps. Which should give Yusuke some laughs, at least.'

A silence fell.

'What I said about being your partner,' Kurama said in a sudden rush, and then stopped as Hiei held up a hand.

'I'm not bothered, fox.' The jaganshi looked away. 'I know you didn't mean it to sound that way.'

Oh, but I did, Kurama wanted to say. Even if it was just wishful thinking. But the words stuck in his throat, along with the fifteen hundred or so other opportunities he'd had to tell Hiei and had chickened out. So he turned his eyes away as well. 'Yeah,' he forced out. 'Didn't mean for it to……'

Another silence. They had the rare gift of being able to exist in companionable quiet, but this was deep and depressingly uncomfortable. Both hated it.

'Ah,' said Hiei finally. 'Well.'

'Yeah,' the fox said, and they both jammed their hands into their pockets and stared off into the middle distance.

'Well,' Hiei said again. He seemed to be quite enamoured of that word recently.

'Would it be so bad?' Kurama asked suddenly. 'If I had meant it.' He carefully avoided Hiei's eyes, which had whipped around to stare at him in pure shock.

He waited for an answer. And waited. And waited. Realising belatedly that silence _was_ his answer, he turned away fully and began to walk back to the others. 'Kurama,' Hiei said in a perfectly emotionless voice. He stopped, but didn't turn to look. 'Leave your window open.'

He didn't feel relief, or hope, or happiness. Those were extreme emotions, not at all suited to the tenuous hold that Hiei had extended towards him. There was a……lack of emptiness……somewhere in him, and that was all. It would do for now – this was not the place or time to be talking about this. The fox nodded once and kept walking.

Hiei flitted away.

Kurama relaxed.

Things were looking up, oh yes they were.


	10. Two conversations on immortality: part 1

A/N: I knew I said I'd be continuing from Explaining Hiei; and I am, honest. I just had to do these, though. The 'main' storyline will continue, never fear.

**_Two conversations on (im)mortality _**

_**Part 1**_

Kurama stood at the railing of the ship, eyes still fixed towards Hanging Neck Island even though it had disappeared entirely over three hours ago, concealed by distance and darkness.

It all seemed unreal now. The tournament. Fighting the youkai on the ship. Roto and his brother. Gama. Touya. Bakken (which wasn't as much a memory as it was a story, since he'd been unconscious while the big lug had beaten him), Ura Urashima and his smoke – Youko. Feeling himself crackling with power and arrogance again. Genkai's death, and Suzuki's unexpected intervention. Karasu.

Karasu.

He shuddered. That was definitely not worth remembering.

Instead, he skipped forward. Hiei's lightshow battle with Bui; Kuwabara's fight; Yusuke and Toguro; watching the stadium blow up.

Still, it had all turned out well, he supposed. They were all alive after all, and even though he hadn't made the wish he'd wanted to make, he couldn't make himself regret it, because he'd saved a life, after all. Genkai had been resurrected, Yusuke had shown himself capable of some serious power, Hiei wouldn't have to worry about losing his arm again, Kuwabara was being happily mauled by Shizuru (who was more relieved than she'd ever admit) and tended to by Yukina, which probably had him in seventh heaven. The bad guys were dead, the good guys were alive. Big yippee.

They were, he thought, happy.

So why was he standing here alone?

Oh, yes. Youko.

He heard a discreet shuffling sound and looked up, startled. Hiei stood there in the shadows.

'Hiei.'

'Kurama.'

'I thought you'd be asleep by now,' Hiei said.

'I wanted to be,' Kurama said. 'But it seems to be difficult when that lunatic's shredded almost every part of me. For some reason, sleeping on open wounds doesn't fascinate me. I could sleep standing up if I summoned a plant, but I doubt I have the energy right now.'

'You're growing soft,' Hiei sniffed.

'I've grown human,' Kurama corrected. 'And that seems to be the trouble here.'

He felt rather than saw Hiei sidle closer.

'Hiei……' Kurama said, his voice darkly amused. 'How long do you think I have to live?'

'Fox?'

'It's a fairly simple question.'

'Are we talking natural life-span, or do I have to take your innate foolhardiness into account?'

'Just answer, Hiei!'

The redhead's uncharacteristic shout startled Hiei. There was a short, sharp silence before the jaganshi said carefully, 'Since we both know that you're asking because you have a different answer in mind……it's known that spirits like you tend to live a few millennia. Now, why did you ask?'

Kurama's eyes fell to the railing, to short human fingernails and the glittering sea below. 'Did you know,' he said quietly, 'why I was so insistent that I would have to leave on my tenth birthday?'

'Power levels,' Hiei said impatiently. 'You had to leave as soon as you had reached enough power to survive and before you became too powerful and had to remain in this–'

He broke off as comprehension dawned.

'Yes, that's exactly it,' Kurama said. 'To remain in this world was a decision that entailed more than just a temporary setback. With it, I gave up my connection to Youko's world, and with it, my claim to his body. My current body's at its peak, closest to its youkai counterpart. By the time I finish growing, it will begin to decline again into its natural form – a human. By the time I'm forty I'll be completely human.' He laughed, a sound of true merriment. 'In essence, I'm a suicidal fool. I could have left later, but she got sick and then we got caught……'

'You fool,' Hiei whispered.

'But there's hope, you see,' Kurama said. 'If I can figure out a way to return to Youko's form while remaining in this world, then this process will be reversed. I just have to do it enough times to make it a natural process, for my body to remember the transformation like any other muscular reaction. Kitsune are illusionists, shape-shifters. I have the knowledge. I only need the power.'

'But if you were able to transform into Youko, you'd have too much power to slip through the barrier.'

'Really, Hiei,' Kurama said with an amused arch of his eyebrow. 'If you recall, my speciality as a thief was breaking through seals and locks. I'll find a way through that barrier eventually.' He frowned. 'Actually, being human isn't all that bad. I miss the power, of course, the strength – who wouldn't miss that? But on the whole, it's refreshing. Like a holiday.'

'A holiday,' Hiei repeated sceptically.

'Actually,' Kurama said, blithely ignoring him, 'what it would probably take would be some trace of the Makai. I've tried my plants, but since they use my own energy it doesn't really work. If I could only go there once, I would have control again.'

Beside him, Hiei began to chuckle.

'What?'

'I was thinking that you're a fool. A greedy one at that.'

'Greedy?' Kurama said.

'Greedy,' Hiei affirmed. A flicker of movement and he was standing on the railing, unconcerned by the rocking of the ship and the danger of his position. 'You want everything. You want the best of both worlds, the best of both lives.'

'Who doesn't?'

'Everyone does,' Hiei admitted, looking down at Kurama's amused expression. 'But they don't pursue it half as single-mindedly as you do. To have enough presence of mind to skip worlds while dying……you're incredibly unwilling to compromise where your own pleasure, your goals, are concerned. It's one of the more interesting things about you, the absolute lack of principles where it comes to getting what you want.'

'Why thank you. I try.'

'You do,' Hiei said. 'But what I'm most curious about right now is why you asked me that question.'

'The moon's really pretty tonight, isn't it?' Kurama said bluntly.

And that, Hiei decided reluctantly, was that.

He shifted tactics. 'How are your wounds?'

'Healing,' Kurama said concisely. 'They'll be gone soon. I may need to crash someplace else for a while, though; I wouldn't want to go home like this.'

'About Karasu……'

Kurama stiffened. 'Yes?'

'Why did you fight him?' Hiei asked bluntly.

'It was the obvious choice,' Kurama shrugged. 'I'd seen enough of Bui's style to know that you would be better suited to fight him; Toguro was obviously too powerful and……' he hesitated.

'The _real_ reason,' Hiei said in a neutral tone, 'would probably be a better option. Especially if you take into account the fact that I, at least, was able to hear most of your conversation, and–' he smirked at some memory, 'interpret it correctly.'

Kurama sighed. 'You're terribly inconvenient,' he mourned.

'Hn.'

'It's exactly what I was explaining to you before,' Kurama said. 'To me, Karasu was the embodiment of the consequences of my choice.' Kurama hesitated for a second before continuing, 'He was obsessed with me for some reason. He waylaid me after his semi-final match, told me he'd be killing me. He said he liked killing beautiful things.'

'You don't take kindly to presumption of that kind, I've noticed.'

The redhead laughed, short and sharp. 'No, I don't. And what's worse, he got his hands around my neck. In that moment, I knew. He was faster than I was, stronger and with access to more techniques than I did. Youko could have beaten him quite easily at any time, but I knew, right then, that I was unable to kill him. He knew he was better than I was; we both did. I wanted to be Youko again so badly; at that moment, I would gladly have sacrificed everything – even my mother – to have returned to my old life. I was ashamed later, and angry and horrified, but that makes no difference, does it? I think that was why I hated him so much; he made me lose my pride and my principles.'

'But you don't think that now?'

'Not now,' Kurama said, looking at the pale moon, silver as his hair. 'I'm so close now, Hiei. For some reason, I know I'll do it.'

'You're so modest.'

'The picture of humility,' Kurama agreed.

End Part 1

To be concluded in Part 2, where a little detail from Hiei and Shigure's fight is revealed to a rather pissed-off kitsune.


	11. Two conversations on immortality: part 2

_**Two conversations on (im)mortality **_

_**Part 2: Shigure**_

The second time was much briefer, louder and altogether less polite.

It began with two sharp sounds as Kurama punched Hiei solidly in the stomach, and then again in the jaw.

The jaganshi didn't react, he never even lost his balance, but a flash of pain crossed his features, which gave Kurama a moment of vicious satisfaction.

'Yes,' Hiei mused, reaching up to touch his bleeding lip. 'I think I knew you'd take it this way.'

You coward!' Kurama spat. 'And you call yourself a fighter! You're a disgrace.'

'So you say,' Hiei said. 'But most others would have said that my existence was a disgrace in the first place.'

'And you dare use that as-as justification?' Kurama looked on the verge of hitting him again.

'No. Only a statement of fact.'

'You pathetic little idiot,' Kurama hissed, rather louder than he normally did. 'Haven't you learnt anything?'

'Learnt what?' Hiei almost shouted back. 'Learnt that people hate? That even my own mother wouldn't risk her precious little life to save me from being killed? That I'll have to live my whole life with the knowledge that there are people who would go out of their way to see me dead simply because of the circumstances of my birth?'

'Do you,' Kurama said dangerously, 'consider me stupid?'

'What?' Hiei said, distracted by the sudden drop of Kurama's voice and the equally sudden rise of his power. He half expected a whip arcing towards him; it was a little better than the words. Kurama was even deadlier in conversation than in combat.

'Stupid,' Kurama enunciated clearly. 'What's the real reason, Hiei, huh? What, did you feel that since Yukina was safe, you'd fulfilled all your duties towards her? Lost your nerve? Got a cramp? Whatever it is, just cut the crap and tell me!'

'You have no right to ask that! You've tried to kill yourself as many times as I have!'

'For a _purpose_! I didn't roll over and die tamely!'

'Tamely?' Hiei snapped. 'You don't know the first thing about what happened!'

The anger still sizzled in Kurama's eyes, but there was the beginning of reluctant curiosity as well. 'So,' the redhead said, performing one of his abrupt mood-swings and leaning back against the wall, features wiped blank of emotion. 'Tell me.'

Considering this uncharacteristic impulse to confess was what had prompted Hiei to reveal the story of his almost-death, it was a little odd that all the words he'd planned on saying were gone like they'd never been, leaving behind only a lurking suspicion that he'd just been played rather effectively. He struggled for that well-practiced speech before giving up.

'I was tired,' he began slowly. 'Very tired.'

'They have these things called beds these days,' Kurama commented acidly. 'Learn their purpose.'

'Kurama,' Hiei growled, 'I'm being nice. Don't make me hit you. Hit you back,' he corrected himself.

'Go on.'

It wasn't an apology, but then neither of them were big on that.

'You're right. I wanted to die. I was tired and sick of killing, sick of having to live by wading in blood. I saw him come at me, and I thought, why not?'

'Why not?' Kurama echoed. 'Hiei, _why not_ is the kind of thing you say before you try a new flavour of ice-cream, not get yourself killed.'

'I've wanted to for so long,' Hiei said, almost wistful beneath the matter-of-fact demeanour. 'Die, that is. At first I told myself I had to find my people, get revenge. Then I told myself I had to find Yukina. Then I thought I'd wait to find my tear gem. But she gave hers to me, right before I left.' He hesitated. 'She knows, you know. I'm pretty sure she does. She's not half as stupid as I wished she'd be.'

'Hiei……'

'She gave me that gem, and it was like being cut loose of that promise. It wasn't the gem I lost, but it was _hers_, and I was free of that reason to live. And I really couldn't think of any others.'

'Couldn't or can't?' Kurama murmured.

'Shut up and let me talk,' Hiei snapped. 'Annoy me again and I won't tell you.'

Kurama's eyebrow said _I sincerely doubt that. _Hiei ignored it.

'So you died because you felt you had nothing to live for,' Kurama mused.

'I've never had anything to live for. I only told myself I did.'

The redhead laughed, sharp and sardonic.

'What?' Hiei demanded irascibly.

'There are times,' Kurama said, still laughing, 'when you remind me just how young you are.'

'Young?'

'Yes, young. Young and not overly bright.'

'Remind me again why you're still alive.'

'Because I'm too pretty to die.' Kurama grinned, and then became serious. 'Hiei.'

Grunt.

'Look,' Kurama said, not very patiently. 'I don't do the whole life-lesson thing. I don't believe there's any purpose, or grand scheme, or great big meaning to life beyond what I want to give it. I live, and my purpose is what I say it is, which is to be alive, nothing more.'

He eyed Hiei, who was looking expressionless, which was his way of saying he didn't understand.

'Still haven't understood?' Kurama shook his head. Okay, this would go the hard way then. 'The little jaganshi, trying so hard to be the big bad toughie that everybody says he is, to live up to the expectations of people who hate him. It's the terrible teenage years all over again. Next you'll be writing bad poetry on a livejournal. Really, you're such a disappointment.'

When he came to, a couple of minutes later, Hiei was sitting on the dresser and watching him with a dark expression. There was a rapidly swelling bruise on his face. It would be gone in a few minutes, but it still stung like hell.

'Well,' he said, 'you're beginning to see the point.'

Hiei glowered mutely at him. Kurama idly wondered whether the trigger had been _teenage, disappointment _or _short_. Although he doubted Hiei knew what a livejournal was.

'As long as you judge yourself by everybody else, you're going to be in this rut,' he explained. Damn, but he was too old and too……well, evil for this. Millennium-old bandits didn't _do_ counselling. 'Haven't I taught you anything? You're living somebody else's life. That doesn't work.'

'So speaks the master of deception.'

'Entirely different,' Kurama said, and manfully resisted the impulse to wag a reproachful finger. 'I deceive others, not myself. And I certainly don't allow anybody's opinion to affect mine in the least. Especially where I'm concerned.'

He looked thoughtfully at Hiei. 'You, on the other hand……something to live for? Hiei, _nothing_ is worth living for. Nothing is worth dying for. Only your life – or your pride – is worth the price of losing it.'

'You're cynical,' Hiei accused.

'I'm realistic,' Kurama corrected. 'Do you remember that night after the Dark Tournament?'

'Being hugged by Yusuke?' Hiei looked faintly traumatised.

'Not that,' Kurama said, laughing a little as he walked over to perch beside Hiei. 'When we talked. About my Youko aspect. You accused me of wanting everything. You're right. I do want everything. I'm a thief, after all; it's in my blood. But I never lost sight of the first priority: myself.' He placed two fingers under Hiei's chin, forcing their eyes to meet. 'Fame, wealth, power, even affection and companionship: they're all secondary. People seek them because that's their way of making themselves _something_, making themselves unforgettable, immortal. But that's a mistake. Immortality is an illusion. Nothing lasts forever. The only thing worth living for is living itself. Anything else is a side-effect; pleasant, perhaps, but unimportant.'

For a long moment, their eyes remained locked together as Kurama waited for Hiei to respond.

Finally, the jaganshi pulled away. He tilted his head to look at Hiei, who seemed deep in thought.

'If you still don't understand, I won't bother explaining any further.'

'You said I was a coward for trying to kill myself,' Hiei said.

'Because it had no purpose.'

'But you've nearly killed yourself four times now.'

'Once to repay a debt. Once to salvage my pride. And once……' Kurama hesitated, remembering that final battle with Shigure. 'Once to prove a point to myself, I think. But you……you killed yourself so you wouldn't have to deal with other people's idea of you; so you wouldn't have to live your life. That's unacceptable.'

'All right, what's an acceptable reason for committing suicide?'

'Pride. A gamble. Nothing else.'

Silence fell as Hiei pondered Kurama's words.

'You left out the time I ran you through instead of Yusuke,' Hiei noted finally.

The redhead let him change the topic. Apparently, somewhere in Hiei's labyrinthine thought processes an answer had been reached. He'd find out sooner or later; he was quite sure of that, and so he could let it go for now and act as if nothing had happened.

Kurama considered that, mildly amused. 'Naah, I don't think you'd have killed me. Haven't we discussed this before?'

'You're terribly smug, aren't you?'

'Also accurate,' Kurama added.

Hiei didn't bother to contradict him.

A/N: behold, the continuity! Mentions of chapter 7 and 8, as well as 10. Mmm, thanks to RainyDayz and Lizybet for the cool reviews: I do think those are the best compliments this fic have ever been paid. blush wow.

Ahem. The, er, 'romantic' storyline – and I know there's precious little of it – continues in the next chapter – but don't expect the grand finale just yet smirks. These two chapters were…… (Philosophy? Drama?) gen, really. So were 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8, come to think of it. Well, I never said I enjoyed romance; and these two have so much more to them than their angsty pasts and kiss-bill-cuddle-coo. Also, I seem to be falling in love with Cynic!Kurama. Blame Fate VII for his brilliant work.

And I just discovered that 'cunning fox' is _listiger fuchs _in German. Just in case you haven't learned anything yet today


	12. The dynamics of reciprocation

_**The dynamics of reciprocation**_

'I've figured out what's wrong with your fighting technique.'

As a reply to an indirect confession, Kurama thought wryly, this sentence left much to be desired. Then again, this was Hiei he was dealing with – perverse, cryptic, moody Hiei. He had just casually fallen into step with him on the street after a month of absence, as if he always walked him back from his school when he had late classes. And Hiei starting from what was in essence the middle of a conversation Kurama had never had…was strangely not surprising.

Denial, denial, denial. Really, he was so predictable at times.

'I wasn't aware there _was_ anything wrong with my fighting technique,' he replied calmly, raising a red eyebrow. 'After all, I'm alive. That implies a certain proficiency.'

'You make a habit of winning,' Hiei accepted. 'But that is not the same. Adequacy is hardly the same as accuracy.'

'Possibly. But I've yet to meet something that could overpower me. Which leads back to my earlier statement.'

'Winning doesn't necessarily indicate perfection,' Hiei countered.

'Therein lies the difference between us,' Kurama noted. 'I wish merely to be correct in my own eyes. You wish for absolute perfection. I have no such illusions.'

'But perfection can't be an illusion. If it were an impossible aim, there would be no point in pursuing anything.'

'Precisely my point,' Kurama said. He had a sneaking feeling this conversation wasn't quite what it seemed. 'Perfection is impossible, simply because the definition of perfection – in anything – depends directly upon the observer, the one who makes the judgment. There can be no objective perfection. Subjective perfection, however, is very real.'

'In short, there's no true perfection, but there is individual perfection.'

'Exactly. It doesn't really matter what anyone else believes is perfect. _My _belief is all that matters.'

'Egocentric.'

'Perhaps,' Kurama agreed amicably. 'But unconditionally accepting the opinion of others is a precursor to not having one of your own.'

'Hn.'

They walked on. Kurama sneaked a look at Hiei. The little jaganshi had an unreadable expression – his last resort, and a futile one. His reactions were even easier to read when he was trying to pretend they didn't exist. What was always difficult was understanding the motives behind them. Hiei was dependable as the tide, but the forces that moved him were still a mystery to the redhead.

'But there's still something wrong with your fighting technique,' Hiei said slowly.

Kurama felt a brief stab of irritation. 'If you're so determined to tell me I suppose I should let you.'

'You leave yourself open when you attack. It's almost as if you can either defend or attack, not do them both simultaneously. That's why you always get injured.'

'The fact that I'm usually fighting someone more powerful than I am has nothing to do with that, I suppose,' Kurama murmured.

Hiei glowered at him – _don't change the subject _– and continued as if he hadn't spoken. 'You throw yourself into every battle as if it were all that mattered; however trivial it is. You risk more than the battle demands you risk, and you do it freely. In short, you make yourself expendable for the sake of victory. You treat yourself as the weapon, not as the wielder.'

'Hiei,' he said bluntly, 'What are you trying to make me do?'

'I never said this was about anything else.'

That did hurt, he observed dispassionately. He continued to walk, but fell completely silent. He could feel Hiei looking at him, but his own eyes were fixed straight ahead.

Hiei flickered out of sight when he reached his house, as always. As always, he was waiting in Kurama's room when he entered. For some reason, the jaganshi had an absolute horror of meeting his mother. In all the years they had known each other Shiori and Hiei had talked only a handful of times. It wasn't that he disliked her; there was just something else there that he hadn't inquired into, just dismissed as another quirk.

'Well?' Hiei said in a challenging tone.

'I wasn't aware there was anything to discuss,' Kurama replied coldly. 'After all, that conversation had nothing to do with me.'

Oddly, Hiei seemed nonplussed by that.

Well, that was just fine by him. Being comprehensively and inexplicably rejected tended to put Kurama in a bad mood, even if he had been half expecting it. Hiei could survive being puzzled.

Kurama busied himself, tidying his desk, sorting through papers, unnecessarily straightening the bed, putting things away. Hiei just sat there on his window, a black island of stillness.

'You're still here,' Kurama said finally, leaning back against his desk. Why wouldn't he go away and let him deal with this in private?

'Should I be here?' Hiei said very quietly.

'Do you want to be?' Kurama retorted.

'I……don't know.'

'I was under the impression that your recent disappearing act was you trying to figure that out.'

Silence.

If he wanted cryptic, he'd get it.

'About my fighting style,' Kurama said. 'You say that I throw myself into everything, that I risk more than I should. I have two replies to make to that. The first is that when I fight, I fight to win. No less. Ever. For me, victory – whatever the victory is – is greater than anything else on the battlefield; opponent, plan, objective, self – everything is secondary. The plan fails when one cannot accept one's role in it. Even if the price required is my own life, I can pay it, if it will gain me what I want. I dictate the terms of the win.'

'That is your greatest weakness. What's the point of winning a game if you lose your life?'

'On the contrary, it is my greatest strength.' Kurama smiled – slow, chilling, predatory. 'I've never lost a fight.'

'I recall the Dark Tournament final match very well,' Hiei said. They were across the room from each other, but it felt much closer. 'It didn't seem like much of a win to me.'

'You're assuming that my objective there was to win the match. I merely wanted to see him dead.'

'I won't pretend to understand that.'

'I'm also single-minded,' Kurama continued, and was pleased to see Hiei understand the mild reproach in his words. 'I have patience and stealth, and I have it on the best of authority that I am very hard to resist.'

'Arrogance is rarely effective when choosing causes, although it may aid in championing them.'

'Your meaning?'

'Some battles cannot be won. And perhaps some things are not worth the price one would pay to attain them.'

'I disagree. Sometimes the price one pays determines the value of the object – to that person, at the very least.'

'Which doesn't really account for the person being a stubborn idiot.'

'Are you insulting me, Hiei?' Kurama inquired. This was growing old.

'You deserve it.'

Enough playing. 'For what crime, may I ask? Daring to tell you?'

Hiei flinched visibly.

'Oh, stop that,' Kurama snapped irritably. 'I'm not going to attack you or smother you. Damn it, I _knew_ you were going to react like this.'

'Like what?'

'Like a frightened, petulant child,' he said bluntly. 'Grow up or leave, Hiei. I'm in no mood to play games.'

'You go too far,' Hiei hissed. He didn't move a muscle, but he radiated imminent destruction.

'Not far enough,' Kurama said. He was vaguely aware that he was angry, angry as he hadn't been in so long, but it didn't really matter. 'You claim you know me, Hiei, but you've forgotten that I know you as well. Every step closer is one I've taken, so you can feel safe and back away any time you want because, well, it wasn't _your _move, so you don't have to stick to it. I let you do that because I thought you needed the time, but this is ridiculous. I've been suppressing my emotions for years, waiting for you to notice, but it seems your blindness is wilful. I won't allow you to toy with me any more; I have more pride than that.'

'I wasn't toying,' Hiei said. 'Were you?'

Kurama's eyes narrowed. 'So you admit you were attempting to manipulate me?' He had time to hear Hiei's slightly louder intake of breath before the rest of the sentence crashed home and they widened again, incredulous. 'And _what_? You're out of your ever-loving mind. You're hardly the type I'd choose for a casual flirtation. And if that was what I wanted, believe me,' his teeth bared briefly in what was too feral to be a smile, 'I'd have succeeded a long time ago. I don't make a habit of being refused.'

'I see.'

It was only when he relaxed that Kurama realised just how tense Hiei had been.

'It would help,' Kurama said gently, 'if you actually discovered that convenient little thing called directness.'

There was a short silence. Hiei opened and shut his mouth a few times, obviously considering his words. The redhead waited patiently.

'Death walks in my shadow,' Hiei said finally. 'I've had people try to kill me since the day I was born. I'm hated and feared and reviled.'

'I know. Your point?'

'Why?'

'Why?' Kurama echoed, although he was fairly sure what he was being asked.

'Why bother? Why me?'

'I,' Kurama said, 'am not here to analyse and comfort your insecurity issues. And I'm not giving you any handle over the situation or any way out of it. I'll explain myself when I think you're not going to turn what I say against me – and if I told you right now, you would find a way.' Emerald narrowed dangerously. 'It's unsettling, isn't it, Hiei? To be so completely out of control?' He pushed off the desk, stalked towards him. 'I've danced around your problems for long enough now. I've been a nice guy for long enough. It's not natural to me. You thought you could live forever in that comfortable cocoon of not having to respond to anything I do? You can't. You won't. I'm kicking you out of it right now.' Hiei watched him circle closer like a predator, fascinated, trapped by the tightly reined-in emotion raging in his eyes. 'You won't get a thing from me unless you're willing to give in equal measure.' They were almost nose-to-nose now, and Kurama felt a brief malicious satisfaction when he realised that Hiei wasn't breathing. 'Maybe it's because you've so determinedly pushed everyone away that you've never noticed, but giving without taking – or taking without giving – in anything is dangerous. There's always the risk that someone's going to call your bluff, force you to change. That is happening now. The next move is _not_ mine, and I will _not _be forced into making it.'

He let the tension build to snapping point – and stepped back. 'Do you understand?' he asked in a completely normal voice.

Hiei blinked, dazed.

'Do you understand?' he said again, and smirked very deliberately.

As he had expected, the smirk jarred Hiei out of the semi-trance. Crimson eyes widened briefly and then settled into a familiar anger. 'Kurama?'

Well. Hiei was using his real name now. Interesting. Not.

'Get out, Hiei,' he said wearily.

'What?'

'You heard me. You're obviously not prepared for this. Come back when you are, when you have a logical answer to give me instead of taking it on the fly or making half-baked attempts to manipulate me into convincing you.'

Hiei didn't move.

'I mean it,' Kurama said. 'And I'm not……angry. Not really.' His head dipped and red bangs shadowed his expression. 'Go, Hiei.'

The jaganshi hesitated. His instincts were telling him to go, his mind to stay, and both decisions felt equally wrong. In the end, he simply stepped out of the window and into the tree next to it. He didn't bother to mask his presence; Kurama would know anyway.

He watched as the redhead moved carefully to the bed in such a way that his face remained hidden from him. The window shut firmly, all the way, but though he listened for the click of the lock it never came.

They slept then, back to back, and though they had been worlds apart before the distance between them had never seemed quite so……tangible.

A/N: What? evil grin You didn't think it was going to be a bed of roses, did you? Remember who we're talking about? And Hiei does exactly this in the anime, as far as I know – it's always someone else who makes the first move, after which he passively accepts whatever overtures of trust/friendship/affection were made. He _never_ decides independently to further any relationship – take Yukina and Yusuke, for example.


	13. The colour of ice

_**The Colour of Ice**_

Hiei's rooms in the guest quarters reserved for contestants in the Makai tournament were lavish (as only befitted the heir to Mukuro's demesne), large, overly comfortable, and very well guarded indeed.

Or so he had thought until now; because though the door was locked and all the security, both technological and magical, was still in place, there was a fine red hair caught on the edge of the lock. A very familiar red hair, and an even more familiar scent on it, of herbs and electricity and human.

Hiei frowned, making a mental note to have a little chat with the chief of security. Not that he would have been much good against this intruder, but if Mukuro's living quarters were equally poorly patrolled several people were going to be demoted immediately.

He opened the door, and met clear emerald eyes from across the dark room, illuminated only by a spill of moonlight through the open window. Kurama smiled, framed in silver. 'Hiei.'

Something in his chest twinged briefly and painfully, and then fell quiet. Some sort of cramp, no doubt. He would have to work it out the next morning.

The silence curled and hissed between them.

What did they have left to say to each other?

'You picked the lock,' he said finally.

'If you didn't find my hair, you're growing soft.'

'Most people knock.'

'Says the one who believes windows are a perfectly acceptable mode of entry. At least I used the door. By the way, you need to check the locks all over this building. You won't believe the things I've found in some people's rooms.'

'You seem to have enjoyed yourself.'

'Oh, yes,' Kurama said, mischief glinting in golden eyes, a slightly manic gleam that spoke of full moons and unrestrained amorality. Hiei decided right then that if anything was missing from his room he would know exactly who was responsible. Kleptomania was notoriously hard to overcome, and he had a strong suspicion that Kurama's efforts in that direction had been half-hearted at best.

And just like that, the tension eased.

'How are you, Hiei?' Kurama asked, as casual as if he'd just been away for the weekend, and not as if they had been apart for three years, the better part of which had been spent devising creative ways to kill each other.

'Alive,' he replied simply. Which was quite a surprise in itself, all things considered. 'And you?'

'I'm fine.'

'Why are you here?' Hiei asked bluntly.

'I just thought I'd……drop in to meet an old friend. It's been a while.'

_And that's most certainly not your motive,_ Hiei thought. 'If you think three years is a long time you're even more human than I believed.'

'Maybe I am, at that,' Kurama acknowledged. 'After all, I did elect to remain in their world – several times.'

Their world, Hiei noted carefully, and pretended that he didn't care about the phrasing. 'And look how far that's gotten you.'

'A past is a hard thing to get rid of,' he shrugged gracefully. 'I've lived too long to want to try.'

'I take it he threatened your family, then.'

Kurama blinked, twice. Then he chuckled. 'You're very sharp. Especially when it's inconvenient for me.'

'You're very predictable on occasion.'

'I take it Mukuro didn't have to make death threats.'

'Not really.'

'You've changed.'

That was another thing he hadn't quite found since they'd parted ways – someone who could shift tactics fast enough to turn conversation into a contest. 'Why?'

'Something's different about you. I'd be tempted to say you were……' Kurama trailed off and shook his head. 'You'd probably kill me if I told you.'

Hiei, recognising this for the ploy it was, remained stubbornly silent.

'You care for her, don't you?'

'Mukuro?' he snorted. 'Don't be a fool. She's my employer, no more. There's nothing of the sort between us.'

'I wasn't referring to romance, even if she is attractive. She's broken through your defences, hasn't she, Hiei? I wonder how she managed that. I've never seen you stand so close to anyone of your own free will, much less hover near so protectively.' The unspoken _except me _hung in the air between them, mutually understood and ignored.

'You're insane.'

'Or more correct than you're comfortable with,' Kurama noted. 'It's almost certain the two of you will have to fight during this tournament.'

'So?'

'She's about ten times more powerful than you are.'

Hiei's eyebrow repeated the statement.

'It would be dangerous,' Kurama said carefully, 'if only one person there were serious about the fight.'

Hiei stared at him for a full minute in absolute silence. Several things occurred to him in that time, but what ultimately burst out was, 'Is that why you're h–'

'Of course,' Kurama interrupted smoothly, 'the Makai tournament isn't going to be like the Dark Tournament; we're all very clear on that. I expect that there will be very few casualties once the……enthusiasm of the initial rounds is exhausted. Yusuke, Mukuro, Yomi and I have been writing to each other the last few weeks, going over some tentative guidelines, trying to set up a code of conduct, and I believe that thi–'

'Kurama.'

'-Yes?'

'…never mind.'

Kurama stood, looking restless, turned to face the window, looking out at the giant spectator area and the arenas placed around the makeshift tents, shops and houses that had sprung up to accommodate the huge influx of contestants, spectators and others. 'You've changed a lot, haven't you.'

'You've already said that.'

'I was watching you today,' Kurama said quietly, as if he hadn't spoken. 'You, with all of Mukuro's men. Making arrangements, giving orders. You belonged, it was easy to see that; you were comfortable with them, comfortable with yourself. You were alive, back there.'

'I've always been alive.'

'But you've never been yourself. Seeing you like that……you've finally come into your own.' There was an odd note to his voice, sincere happiness and melancholy. 'You're not content to be colourless any more.'

'What's your point?'

'Oh, nothing at all. Just thinking aloud. You seem happy.'

'I am,' Hiei said, since it was the honest truth and no matter how intricately they danced around things there wasn't much point in lying to Kurama.

'That's good.'

'You'll be fighting?' Hiei inquired.

'Of course.'

'But you'll ensure that you're gently knocked out at some point without actually losing to anyone, I presume.'

'Can you imagine what I'd have to tell my mother if I actually won this thing?' Kurama's eyes twinkled; obviously, he'd had that conversation in his mind a few times. 'Besides, I'd eventually have to go up against one of the five of you – and we all know I haven't the raw power necessary for that. Even Natsume or Enki could probably defeat me.'

'You're not a very eager fighter.'

'No. Fighting isn't my forte; I've always tried to avoid it when I can. After all, violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.'

'Are you calling me incompetent?'

'Are you feeling guilty?'

'You wish.'

'For many things,' Kurama grinned. 'Well, the fights begin tomorrow, I'd suggest getting a good night's rest.'

'Which I would be having by now if it weren't for you,' Hiei grumbled without real venom, sitting down on the bed and beginning to pull off his boots. 'And Kurama? I _will_ be fighting tomorrow.'

The grin slid just a little before it turned into something more genuine. 'And how will you be fighting, Hiei?'

'To win.'

'That's good,' Kurama said and padded soundlessly to the door.

'Colourless, was I?' Hiei asked.

Kurama didn't turn back. 'Yes,' he said. 'Never asserting your stance. Content to be pegged. Be a mystery, Hiei. You're no fun at all when I know exactly what you're thinking.'

'You flatter yourself.'

'As do you,' the fox said, and let himself out.

'Hn,' he said contemplatively.

A red head popped back in. 'Oh, Hiei,' Kurama said, 'You might want to have a very long chat with your people. I already have the codes to your new defence systems, and the wards are really pathetic.'

In reply, Hiei threw a boot at the door, knowing it was childish, but feeling entitled. It shut just in time, and he could hear Kurama's footsteps fading; if he listened hard he could hear the faint laughter.

Hiei made a mental note to have an even longer conversation with the chief of security. Letting Mukuro's arch-rival's chief counsellor observe confidential briefings was officially a Very Bad Idea.

He supposed he was glad they weren't actually at war.

He withdrew the single hair from his pocket and observed it with a critical eye.

In the moonlight, it looked more like silver.

A/N: Eh, genfic again! Oh well. The main story continues in the next chapter. Also, points to anyone who can place the quote from Isaac Asimov in this chapter; cookies for reviewers who point it out. Inspired by how, well, demon-y, Kurama gets in the Makai arc – there's definitely a bit more manipulative/devious/ruthless out there than in the previous arcs, and I do so love him when he's being that way.


	14. Chaperoning

_**Chaperoning romantically inclined siblings**_

'Why are we here again?' Hiei demanded.

'It's really very simple,' Kurama said, smiling almost beatifically, legs hanging coolly off the edge of the high building they were both perched on. 'Kuwabara's down there in the café because he's madly in love with your sister. Yukina's with him because he asked her out on a date, because even the two dimmest people in the world when it comes to romance had to get the idea eventually. You're here because you're a pigheaded jackass of an overprotective elder brother whom Yusuke insisted be restrained in case he lost his best friend to a cup of coffee. I'm here because somebody has to keep you from killing Kuwabara.' The smile grew wider, brighter, even more innocent, if that was actually possible. 'I think that about covers it. Well, any questions?'

'When do I get to kill you?'

'Well,' Kurama mused, tapping a finger to his lip and apparently not paying attention, 'Yusuke did tell me to distract you if possible, and I suppose that would count as a distraction, yes?'

Hiei glared at him out of the corner of his eyes, unable to begin said killing due to the paralytic Kurama had slipped in his neck about twenty minutes ago, which had left him trapped from below the neck. The plant was also apparently fireproof, because it was sucking away at his neck quite cheerfully despite being incinerated three times; it wasn't so much as charred.

'On the other hand,' Kurama continued, still in that obscenely cheerful tone, 'I felt that you did have a point when you insisted on being allowed to observe them, so I brought you along.'

Hiei continued to glare. An innocent pigeon which had perched in his line of view made a gurgling sound and carked it. Kurama beamed at him.

Hiei took a deep breath and tried to yell in a whisper (Yukina had very sharp ears). 'I. Hate. You.'

'Oh, sure,' Kurama said and flapped a hand negligently in his direction. The plant gurgled gleefully (it definitely gurgled; Hiei was a telepath after all, and the faint, pleased, hiccupping sound it made simply couldn't be described in any other way) and latched on tighter.

'Urk,' Hiei said intelligently, having lost the ability to move more than his face.

'Precisely,' Kurama said, rolling over to lie on his stomach, propping his head on his hands and peering interestedly at the pair below them, shading his eyes from the setting sun. 'It's very sweet, you know. There's something very innocent about those two. If I were more sentimental I'd be cooing right now.'

In the square some ten floors below them, Kuwabara held the chair for Yukina. Hiei seethed visibly as Yukina blushed and laughed.

'I understand that you find Kuwabara somewhat…objectionable…' Kurama said, eyeing him from the corner of his vision (sharpened by years of using said vision to look for shiny things). 'But at this point you can hardly doubt his intentions. I don't think he's so much as looked at another girl since he met her.'

He rolled over to face Hiei, hair forming a blood-coloured halo around his head as it rested against sun-heated stone. 'What do you have against him?'

Hiei stared straight at the pair in the café. After a long silence Kurama shook his head and returned to watching Kuwabara.

'He's human,' Hiei said suddenly. 'She's not. There are reasons why that kind of relationship is frowned upon, you know.'

Kurama frowned. 'Such as?'

'Don't play ignorant,' Hiei snapped. 'She's going to look like this for the rest of her life, which is going to be a few millennia long at least. He'll be dead in sixty years at the most, maybe seventy if he's lucky. Do you think either of them are remotely prepared for the consequences of that? Will she be able to watch him die in what is an eyeblink of time for us? Or will he have to have an eternally young – wife,' Hiei visibly gagged over the word, 'while he grows old and infirm? It won't end well; you know this.'

'But it'll be good while it lasts,' Kurama replied. 'My mother's growing old as well. That hasn't stopped me from loving her.'

'But you're a fool,' Hiei said quietly. 'Losing people hurts too much to invest emotions in someone who'll be dying soon.'

'Hiei. Question.'

'What?'

'How safe would you say the Makai is?'

Hiei shot him a speaking glance.

'And there are youkai out there who are more powerful than either of us. For all your training, Mukuro can still whip you without breathing hard, and she can certainly do the same to me. And there's others out there – only a few, but still – who could probably take her on, too.'

'What are you getting at?'

'Hiei, do you feel anything at all for Yusuke? Or Yukina? Mukuro? Or me?'

Hiei glowered.

'But there's no guarantee that any of us will be alive even if we aren't human, is there? We could die in battle, in an accident. That's the most foolish reason not to love that I've heard.' Kurama's eyes softened just a little; to most, it would have closely resembled his "normal" appearance, but Hiei knew him well enough to recognise that this was a rare moment. 'Look at them. They're happy, at least for the moment.'

'You're weighing the chance that our kind might die over the certainty that theirs will. That's hardly wise.'

'You're weighing the chance that you might someday regret pursuing affection against the certainty that you'll always wonder whether it would have been better to have at least made the attempt. That doesn't seem much better to me.'

'You're getting at something else entirely, aren't you?'

'Of course not,' Kurama retorted. 'I told you the next move would be yours. I wouldn't even have referred to……the issue……if you hadn't brought it up just now.'

Hiei eyed the fox warily. Kurama had kept very true to what he had said the last time they had met, staying away from Hiei and being polite and distant when they were forced to meet by circumstance. He had also made it clear that his accompanying Hiei here was a favour to Yusuke, no more.

Which was beginning to……become unpleasant for Hiei. He hadn't quite realised just how depen- how much time he spent at Kurama's when in this world. The fox was good company, after all; he didn't talk when there was no need to, and made sense when he did – and his windowsill was comfortable, and so was his bed on the rare occasions Hiei felt like indulging himself. Staying at Yusuke's was out of the question, and so was the temple, and the parks were looking less attractive lately with the frequent rains. That, and he was getting tired of picking pockets for ice-cream money.

Apparently, his prior inclinations hadn't been dulled by the last eleven years or so of being law-abiding. Then again, some of Kurama's art pieces looked terribly genuine……as always, Koenma was willing to overlook certain things as long as they didn't involve the Reikai.

His eyes drifted downwards, and stopped at the café just in time for him to see Kuwabara clasp Yukina's hands. Something very close to a snarl escaped him. Kurama chuckled.

'Why?'

'Why what, Hiei?' Kurama asked, looking at him calmly, dispassionately, knowing that the conversation was heading in a slightly different direction. 'I told you, I owe you no explanations.' He sat up and moved back a little, effectively removing himself from Hiei's vision.

'That won't work,' Hiei said, jagan flaring open. They were on the tenth floor, anyone who saw could go hang.

'Maybe,' Kurama said, amused. 'We won't be speaking of this again, by the way.'

'Fine.'

'Oh, it is.'

There was a long silence as they both watched the happy couple. Kurama was right. It was sweet. In fact, Hiei could almost feel his teeth rotting from how sickeningly saccharine it was. Kuwabara said something and Yukina giggled again between two spoons of ice-cream.

'I haven't sparred with anyone in weeks,' Hiei said finally, trying to distract himself from his sister's corruption.

'I'm sure Yusuke would be happy to,' Kurama replied without looking at him. 'Or you could return to the Makai. Or go find Genkai, if you're in the mood for hand-to-hand.'

'I haven't sparred with you in weeks,' Hiei corrected himself reluctantly.

'Yes.'

Damn it, Kurama was _not _supposed to be the one with the one-word answers! 'Will you spar with me?'

'No.'

'Why?'

'Because I'm not going to involve myself any further until you come to a decision.'

'What do you want from me?' Hiei asked, hating the slight weakness that betrayed.

'Everything,' Kurama said simply, eyes gleaming in the sunset with a not-quite green tinge to them. 'Everything you have to offer. Everything I think I can take. I am perhaps more ruthless here than in battle. At this point, you have three choices. You can accept my offer, and we can take it from there, whatever you decide. You can reject my offer, and we can take it from there. Or you can ignore it entirely, and you will never see me again. I've already indicated my preference, but you are, of course, free to choose. And I _will_ bind you to what you decide, so be very careful and be very sure. I don't think I can make it clearer than that.'

'No,' Hiei agreed. 'You can't.'

'I've given you as much time as I can stand.' Kurama's voice was quiet, sincere. 'It's been over a decade, Hiei. I can't live like this anymore. You can't have not noticed my interest.'

Years of shelter. Healing. Food. A partner, someone watching his back. Fighting and conversation; someone he could be quiet around without provoking questions. A point of familiarity in a world he hated, among people that confused him. That window, always unlocked. The impish smile, the private jokes. A hundred glances and words and actions, all insignificant individually, but put together and seen without the protective shield of nonchalance and scorn he had always slammed around himself, wilfully blinded himself with……

'Yes,' he admitted. 'I did.'

'Well?' Kurama said. 'I want your decision.'

'I……' Hiei began, and choked.

Kurama waited. And waited, and waited, and the sun inched lower faster than it should have.

Finally, he stood and brushed off his jeans. 'Goodbye, Hiei.'

'What, abandoning Kuwabara?' Hiei said, because that was the simpler question to ask.

'They're gone, Hiei.' Kurama sounded wearily amused, and Hiei realised with a start that he hadn't felt either Yukina or Kuwabara in the last ten minutes; the chairs were empty. The redhead turned to leave.

Hiei had many advantages in battle; his strength, his skill with a sword, fire attacks and his trump card, the dragon; but first and foremost, it was his speed he relied upon, the speed that made him even faster than Yusuke, instinct and training flowing seamlessly until his movements were automatic, fluid, and even thought was unnecessary; need translated to action faster than his mind could intervene.

His hand shot out and grabbed Kurama's wrist even before his head had finished turning – wait. When had Kurama removed the plant?

Irrelevant. Irrelevant.

'Kurama,' he said quietly, twisting to look at the fox. Brilliant green eyes blinked at him seriously. 'I don't– know what you mean yet; you haven't been very clear about it. But I think I want to find out. And I……don't want you to leave.'

'So you accept my offer,' Kurama said, absolutely neutral, neither pulling away nor giving in to the grip that Hiei knew had to be hurting a little by now.

'Tentatively,' Hiei warned. 'I'm not going to commit to anything until I'm more sure.'

The shadow of a smile flickered over Kurama's face. 'That is acceptable. For the moment.'

Hiei let go, stood up, feeling frighteningly awkward. 'All right.'

They faced each other, Kurama smiling ever so subtly and Hiei carefully poker-faced.

'What happens now?' Hiei said finally.

'I believe you said you wanted to spar?' Kurama suggested. 'The woods are pretty in the moonlight, and almost deserted; it should be interesting.'

Hiei relaxed a little; now that the threat of the unknown was gone, and it was just them, it was easy to go back to the old pattern, to be……whatever it was they had been, even if what he'd said and done so impulsively just now might change it in the future, change it irrevocably, some things would remain, would be the same–

And with that mild reassurance, Hiei felt his lips twitch in what wasn't quite a smile, but might become one with time.

A/N: this was meant to be funny, fluffy and pointless; instead, it took a screaming left into _this_. I certainly didn't intend it to go this far this fast……this is quickly edging into romance, which I am uncomfortable with……still, what there is of it isn't too bad, I hope. This is also the second time I'm attempting to write more from Hiei's perspective, which I find far more difficult than Kurama's despite the fact that his is a far more straightforward mind.

Cookies to Anomura the Padawan, BlueUtopiah, Unforgiving Tears! You rock!


	15. Statement of intent

_**Statement of intent**_

A/N: warning: no timeline. So please don't go, 'wtf happened in between chapter 14 and this?!', okay? This is just here because it's HK.

'It's not that I've nowhere else to go,' Hiei said firmly. 'I'm just tired, that's all.'

'Of course,' Kurama said. 'After all, this was just a temporary alliance. You'll be leaving in the morning, then?'

'Before sunrise. I have to go back to the Makai. There's nothing for me here. I hate this world.'

'I know. I have school in the morning, so I'll probably be gone before you wake.'

'Don't think this means anything.'

'Of course not, Hiei.'

'And don't think I owe you anything just because you helped me kill Yatsude. Your little girlfriend would be dead by now if it weren't for me.'

'We're quits, Hiei.'

'Right. Just so you understand.'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'It's not that I've nowhere else to go,' Hiei said. 'You're just a convenient place to rest.'

'Of course,' Kurama replied. 'It'll be convenient for us to plan the theft together, after all. The Reikai vaults are challenging even for the likes of us, and we only have a few weeks left. You'll be leaving in the morning, then?'

'Early.'

'I need to go to the hospital around seven,' Kurama said. 'I guess we could have breakfast first.'

'Don't think this means anything.'

'Of course not, Hiei.'

'And don't think you have any hold over me just because you're a part of this alliance,' Hiei warned. 'I want to go home, you want to save your mother. We have equal shares in this.'

'We're quits, Hiei,' Kurama said patiently.

'Right. Just so you understand.'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'It's not that I wanted to be here,' Hiei told him flatly. 'It's just the terms of my parole.'

'Of course,' Kurama said. 'After all, I did get you into trouble. But it's not all bad. You'll have more opportunities to look for Yukina without worrying about the Reikai's interference.You'll be leaving in the morning, then?'

'Early.'

'Oh. Okay.'

Hiei frowned. Kurama hadn't said what he should have, and what he had to say felt disjointed without its cue. 'There's nothing for me here. I hate this world. I have to return. Once I find her, I will.'

'I know. You're welcome to spend the night here.'

'Don't think this means anything.'

'Of course not, Hiei.'

'Don't think I'm grateful for this,' Hiei said harshly. 'You betrayed me. I wouldn't even be in this situation if it weren't for you.'

'We're quits, Hiei,' Kurama repeated dutifully.

'Right. Just so you understand.'

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'It's raining,' Hiei announced. 'And you owe me from the last poker game.'

'You did use your jagan,' Kurama said, miffed. 'Just as well. Another few minutes and I'd have been asleep. I'm still quite tired from the tournament, actually. Isn't it nice to be someplace peaceful again?'

Hiei glared. 'I hate this world. I want to go back home.'

'Don't you want to stay with Yukina?'

'There's nothing for me here. I hate this world. I have to return.'

'I know,' Kurama said quietly. 'You're welcome to spend the night here. I have club in the morning; I'll be off before you wake.'

'It's just that it's raining,' Hiei said, and Kurama wondered why he'd skipped a line.

'We're quits, Hiei.'

But Hiei made no reply.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'It's not like I told Yusuke to drop us both off here,' Hiei huffed. 'I was unconscious at the time.'

'Of course,' Kurama murmured. 'It's not that you had nowhere else to go, right?'

'Exactly. I didn't want to come back here. There's nothing for me here. I wanted to stay in the Makai.'

'I know. It was just too dangerous at that time to let you remain there, though.'

'I know that, fox,' he snapped.

'You're welcome to spend the night here.'

Hiei waited for the next line, but it didn't come. So he forged on. 'Don't think that this means anything.'

Kurama laughed. 'You've never given me any cause for that, have you?'

'No,' Hiei said, relieved that the initiative was out of his hands. 'I haven't.'

And he didn't know why Kurama had changed the script, but it hurt somehow.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'It's not that I wanted to say goodbye or anything,' Hiei said. 'It's just……'

'Liar,' Kurama whispered, and it stopped everything in its tracks, and Hiei didn't know why he had done that, because it kicked everything they'd built up so carefully over the years into sand and ashes.

'I want to go home,' he said quietly, because that was the only thing he was sure of. 'I hate this world.'

'I know, Hiei,' Kurama said sadly. 'You're welcome to spend the night here.'

'I'll be leaving in the morning. I have things to do.'

'I have early classes. I'll be gone before you wake.'

'Don't,' he began, and the words wouldn't say themselves anymore.

Kurama tilted his head. 'Hiei?' he said, as if he didn't know the ending to that sentence.

But Hiei himself hadn't known the ending until just now, because he found himself clutching at Kurama's shirt and pulling them together, and when the surprised fox fell against him he repeated, 'Don't, don't, don't,' like a child, burying his face in the off-white fabric of Kurama's tunic, and somehow Kurama understood, because those long-fingered hands – thief's hands – were nimble and fever-hot and desperate as they ran over his face, his neck, everywhere, and they held each other for the first time and touched for the first time and in everything they did there was unspoken farewell and fierce denial of that farewell, there was unspoken love and fierce denial of that love.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'It's not that I didn't want to be here before,' Hiei began quietly, and they took it from there.

A/N: timeline freaks: in order: after Two Shots, before the heist, after the Four Saint Beasts, after the tournament, after Sensui, before the Makai Tournament arc, somewhereIdunno. Heh. Looky, looky. Romance. I hope they're in character, though. Little nervous about that.


	16. The nature of games

_**The nature of games**_

'Kurama,' Hiei said quietly.

'Hmmm?'

The fox didn't bother to sit up from where he was sprawled on the soft grass, watching the stars; instead, he arched his neck backwards to look at Hiei, who was leaning against a tree trunk perpendicular to him. It was a pose they had become accustomed to adopting when they couldn't trust their environment; sitting facing away from each other improved their joint field of vision and provided them a modicum of security. Over time, it had become automatic for them to fall into place beside each other like that.

'Nothing,' Hiei said, still in that oddly hushed tone, but the physical discomfort he was radiating would have been obvious even to someone less used to him than the redhead was.

Kurama sighed and rolled to his side, facing Hiei. Bits of grass stuck to his back, still sweaty from the training session. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing,' Hiei said again.

'Oh?' Kurama rearranged himself slightly and slowly rested the top of his head against the side of Hiei's leg; not in his lap, but touching nonetheless, and repressed the fierce wave of emotion that rose in him when Hiei didn't move away – tensed, fingers twitching, but didn't move away. 'Tell me.'

'Have I earned the right to information yet?'

'Yes,' Kurama replied without hesitation. The situation they were in was still delicate, easily shattered; Hiei had ceded control to him until now, caught as he was in his own indecision and insecurity, but he had no illusions that if he took it a step too far or too fast there would be immediate and harsh retaliation. They shared many things, but trust was rarely one of them; if, at this point, he kept Hiei in the dark as to his own intentions, he risked scaring the jaganshi off, or angering him.

'Why choose me?'

'Because you know me. Because I know you. And you accept what I am.'

'Others would, if you desired to tell them.'

'But I never had to tell you,' he said, and wondered what Hiei would do if he reached up and touched that pale cheek. 'You understood. Or to be more accurate, you didn't give a damn either way as long as I didn't get between you and what you wanted. That was the first thing that attracted me to you.'

'You're not that hard to understand,' Hiei snorted.

'I think I'm offended.'

'You're hopeless.'

'More than you know,' Kurama said with a thin, sharp smile, letting Hiei absorb both meanings. 'You're an equal,' he continued, shuffling his body up so he lay with his head resting fully against Hiei's left leg; Hiei had tucked the other against his chest, his habitual pose. 'You're quick, and I don't have to waste time telling you everything. You're strong enough to stand up to me. You're an asset in battle, you're not weak in any sense of the word. You suit me.'

He reflected that if he had attempted to woo human girls with words like these they would be less than flattered, but there was a small pleased quirk to Hiei's eyebrows, and a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. 'Hn.'

'That's about the shape of it. Is it satisfactory?'

'Hn.'

'Was there anything else?' Kurama inquired lazily.

'Try anything funny and they'll be finding shreds of you clear across the worlds. For years.'

Kurama looked at him, amused. 'To be honest, I thought that's how you'd begin this conversation.'

'To be honest, that's how I _had_ planned to begin it.'

Kurama chuckled, fingers flicking idly at the grass, which grew an inch or two, receded. Grew, receded, in time with his movements. 'To have a plan is to not have a clue.'

'That doesn't sound like you.'

'Yusuke,' he said simply.

'I can believe that.'

'I meant to ask you,' he said carefully. 'About Yusuke.'

'What about him?'

'There was a time I thought you…' he trailed off, knowing Hiei would fill in the spaces.

'Maybe,' Hiei said, sounding oddly calm. 'It began that way. Fascination, respect, a certain attraction. Not unlike you. But it's different now. He's changed – or perhaps I have.'

Which was a rare confession, Kurama knew. 'Hiei,' he sighed. The jaganshi didn't answer, and they dropped off into silence, each in his own thoughts.

If anything, this strange new physical closeness was less reassuring than their sparring had been. Hiei had made a move, true, had accepted his offer, but the ambiguity on both sides made it tenuous and easily warped if they chose to do so. But even if his head was now fully and comfortably resting on Hiei's lap that meant very little; it was not a real move on his part, it could be withdrawn and ignored, it was not binding and permanent as Kurama's offer, or Hiei's acceptance had been – and even that acceptance had been reluctantly, almost involuntarily given. Hiei could still back off.

Well, if he did, he would have a severely pissed kitsune on his tail (figuratively speaking, since Hiei wasn't the one with the tail) for as many millennia as it took for one of them to kill the other. For real, this time.

The disadvantage, Kurama mused somewhat sleepily, of being so close. There comes a point where you either love each other or hate each other. In whatever way you can. The intensity is identical, though.

A part of him – silver-haired killer – mildly regretted that if things went well, they would never have a chance to truly fight. It would have been interesting, to say the least.

He had a feeling Hiei would agree, if that little speculative smirk he donned every time Kurama adopted his youko form was any indication.

Still. This was better.

He looked over at Hiei, and chuckled silently when he saw his head drooping in sleep.

Yes, definitely better.

Sensing Kurama's gaze, the jaganshi snapped his head up and glared defensively at him. 'What?'

'It's alright to sleep. I'm awake.'

'I know that, idiot,' Hiei snapped. 'I wanted to leave.'

'Okay,' he said quietly. This much time was more than he'd expected anyway. 'I'll see you later then.'

'You mean I'll see you.'

'Hmmm?'

'It's your move, fox.'

'Actually, it's yours,' Kurama grinned. 'Look at where I'm lying.'

Hiei's eyes widened a fraction, and he stared accusingly at his leg for a moment as if the rest of him had had no say in the matter at all; then he yanked it out from under Kurama's head, dropping it rudely onto the grass. 'Still my move then; I let you rest there.'

'You're mistaken,' Kurama said, rubbing at the back of his head. 'The move wasn't placing my head on your leg; it was doing it without you noticing.'

And the grin turned even closer to a smirk.

Hiei snorted. 'Fine,' and turned to leave.

'Aren't you going to do something?' Kurama inquired, still sprawled catlike over the grass.

'I'll think about it,' Hiei said. 'And charming semantics aside, you still owe me a move.'

'You're right, of course. What do you want?'

'What?'

'Free choice, Hiei. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. One thing you want from me. Ask, and it's yours. But ask now.'

A staggering agreement, because it could be abused, but once granted, a greater debt. It was a dangerous gift, and Hiei took the time to inspect it before the answer came to him. He took a deep breath.

'Tell me one true thing you feel for me,' he said, harsh and quiet.

Kurama smiled. 'Done.'

Hiei waited.

'Well?'

'I never said I'd grant it immediately,' Kurama pointed out, eyes glittering playfully in the dark. He'd just made Hiei lose his balance, and they both knew it.

'I loathe you.'

' "Never play games with a kitsune," ' Kurama quoted with a very vulpine smile. 'But I always keep my promises, Hiei. You'll know soon enough.'

'I should have known you'd pull a stunt like this,' Hiei growled.

'Yes, you should have,' he agreed, emerald eyes half-lidded. 'I'll see you, then.'

'You will,' Hiei agreed and flickered away.

Kurama was whistling when he left the clearing behind; one game was over, and another had begun, and it promised to be interesting.

He was who he was: trickster, illusionist, manipulator. Games were second nature to him, and this was the greatest and most deadly game he had ever played, and against a worthy opponent. It was all right to take acceptable risks, and make interesting gambles.

Really, he was amused that Hiei had even bothered to resist this far; not surprised, because it was exactly that stubborn refusal to accept defeat that had drawn Kurama to him from the day they'd met, but amused, because he thought he could win – even if they were playing for the same end, Kurama had no intention of ceding a single point on the way.

Really, Hiei should know better than to play with a kitsune.

A/N: just four reviews for the previous chapter? Sigh. Still, 126 reviews and 11000 hits is pretty good, ne?


	17. In sleep

A/N: one-shot. No timeline. Greenmeat: you may just be right about this going on forever.

_**In Sleep**_

They never sleep together.

In the most literal, basic sense of the word, they never share slumber or dreams – for them, dreams are unpleasant things, best forgotten, best never mentioned if forgetting is not possible. They have never known the simple pleasure of waking up entwined with another, to warm sleepy smiles.

They are from a different world, after all.

While one sleeps, the other watches. Back-to-back, they rest (for instincts are instincts, engraved over the years into their very soul), one lying down, the other sitting up, as secure as they can ever be in a world of ever-present danger, knowing that a person with the ability to protect them is awake; they are guarded from surprise attacks, from insidious strategies by an alert, waking mind. They do not touch while they sleep, because even an arm around a waist or fingers in hair might tangle, might distract, might delay for a single fatal second.

There is warmth in that not-embrace, and comfort greater than arms wrapping around them; even the tightest, most soothing embrace cannot provide the security of a body pressed to a back, not fully, for the other is resting perpendicular, but enough to be tangible, to be a reminder that they are not alone, not cold, not defenceless even in their vulnerability. That is greater strength than any lover's hold can provide.

They watch each other as they sleep, and silently they relish the trust placed in them; to turn one's back (even on a friend) is not something that is done – or taken – lightly. To sleep in the presence of another is an admission of trust, an acceptance of vulnerability, and there is deep loyalty implicit in this exchange, and it is recognised and valued even if it is unspoken.

It is oddly warming, as well, to know that they would put their lives on the balance for each other; that fighters of that calibre would risk going without much-needed rest and rejuvenation to watch over the other while they slept when they could as easily seek out a different perch. An hour of rest could mean the difference between life and death, and danger could attack at any time, but still they watch, and even the intellectual knowledge that division of danger is as effective as division of labour cannot dim that realisation.

And perhaps they never sleep together; but that, in the face of _this_, hardly matters.


	18. The complexities of motivation

_**The complexities of motivation**_

'There's something very interesting about the Forlorn Hope that I've just discovered.'

'Oh?' Kurama said mildly, back still turned to Hiei as he folded his uniform. Double, fold, sleeves in, smooth out the crease. 'And what is that?'

'The mirror. It kills the one who makes the wish.'

Kurama's hands stilled. 'Ah. That.'

'Yes. That.'

'Actually, I did know,' Kurama said cheerfully. 'Can't live as long as I have without picking up some information here and there, you know.'

Hiei snorted. 'You're not fooling me any more. Although you've done a decent job so far.'

Kurama turned, and his eyes were expressionless. 'Don't make any mistake about this, Hiei. We agreed that our motivations were our own. You want the Shadow Sword. I want the Forlorn Hope. The plan will go on.'

'I'm not assisting you in a suicide venture.'

Kurama smiled, sharp and amused. 'You know, that's the closest you've ever come to saying you give a damn about me.'

'Don't think you can deflect me with your pathetic attempts at humour,' Hiei growled, although they both knew he hadn't been joking.

'Deflect you? I'm sorry, Hiei. I meant to change the subject entirely.'

Hiei uncurled himself from the windowsill. 'You failed.'

'She's my mother,' Kurama said simply.

'A mother?' Hiei snapped. 'She was an escape. A convenient hide-out, no better than a hole in the ground or a hollow tree. It's your foolish sentimentality that's attached significance to such a worthless thing.'

'And you would know a fair bit about a mother's love, wouldn't you, Hiei?' Kurama spat.

The jaganshi froze. 'You have no right to say that,' he hissed.

'Nor did you,' Kurama replied, equally unyielding. 'Hasn't stopped either of us though, has it?'

'You've based your entire existence on one human who's going to die in a few decades anyway.'

'I know. I never said I was particularly far-seeing in this aspect.'

'You do realise that there's no way you can survive this.'

'Ah, well.' Kurama shrugged. 'This was living on borrowed time anyway. I got fifteen years' grace. That's more than most. Almost worth the dying.'

'You're utterly insane,' Hiei said, almost awed. He knew he could kill himself in battle, sacrificing his own life to win, if necessary; but this cold-blooded preparation was something he doubted himself capable of.

Clothes folded, Kurama leaned against the wall, legs stretched out. He looked utterly relaxed, calm, rational, prepared for anything. Anyone less observant would have missed the tension and weariness in his eyes. Hiei had thought it was his mother's illness and the strain of their last-minute training and preparations, but now that he knew, it was obvious.

'You're scared, aren't you,' he remarked.

'Terrified,' Kurama replied equally casually. 'I have a very strong self-preservation instinct which is currently calling me all sorts of names and reminding me how I managed to survive all these years.'

Hiei shook his head, not knowing what to say. 'Is she worth it?' he asked finally, and there was no scorn in his voice this time, just curiosity.

Kurama nodded. 'She's worth it.'

'Why?'

'Why? I don't really know.' Kurama shifted uneasily under Hiei's flat stare. 'Maybe it's just……everybody who cared for me, even a little, they always had some other motive. My skills as a thief, or my intelligence, or my appearance; they always wanted something out of me. They used me and I used them to gain whatever was necessary. She was the first one who didn't do that, even though I was still using her, in a way.'

'You take your debts seriously.'

'Very.'

'You're going to do this. You're really going to do this.'

'Yes.'

'Then I've nothing more to say on this matter.'

'What, no reassurance? No persuasion?'

'There wouldn't be any point.'

Kurama nodded soberly.

'We leave tomorrow. Be ready at dawn.'

'I will.' Kurama hesitated. 'Aren't you going to stay here?'

'No. Get some rest.'

'Good night, Hiei.'

'You're still a fool,' he said with surprising bitterness, and vanished into the inky night.

'I know,' Kurama said quietly, and shut the window.

A/N: genfic again, I know; but the complexities and implications of the Three Artefacts Arc are endlessly fascinating to me. I think this is my sixth or seventh fic that refers to the arc (counting 26 connections independently).


	19. A matter of diplomacy

_**A matter of diplomacy**_

'I suppose you know why you're here,' Mukuro said tranquilly.

'Not really,' Kurama replied with equal calm. 'I wasn't aware that I had done anything to merit the summons of one of the rulers of the Makai. Not recently, that is.'

'I'm referring to your interest in my heir.'

Kurama tilted his head, curious. 'We've been friends for years. Surely you know most of it.'

'I have received reports that there has been a development in your relationship.'

'You're spying on Hiei? I commend your courage.'

'I have a vested interest in his survival,' Mukuro shrugged. 'If he were to need assistance or healing at a crucial moment–'

'I can assure you that Hiei does not want for support in the human world. If, that is, there were anything there strong enough to place him in any real danger, which I doubt.'

'You're changing the subject,' Mukuro noted.

'And you're prying,' Kurama retorted. 'He might be your heir, but I am quite out of your control. I would strongly suggest your keeping out of my business.'

'You're claiming Hiei as your business?'

'I'm claiming my life as mine,' Kurama said bluntly. 'And Hiei is very much a part of my life. I came here as a civility, no more. I will not be threatened or coerced. Or bribed.'

'You do realise that I could strike you down where you stand without blinking.'

'You do realise that that would leave you short an heir? And I assure you, I am harder to kill than I look.' Golden eyes flattened, losing emotion, becoming blank and cold and utterly empty of life. Mukuro's eye narrowed, and she tensed slightly. Twin killers, they faced each other, apparently relaxed.

'There is more at stake here than your love life, Youko,' Mukuro snapped. 'Like it or not, the politics involved in this situation are forcing me to do this.'

'Politics?' Kurama arched a dark eyebrow.

'Your links to Yomi are well known. And officially, at least, you are still one of his advisors.'

'If you believe that–'

'I don't,' Mukuro said immediately, and felt Kurama's hackles lower again. 'But with your respective political alliances, and your friendships with Yusuke, this could become a fairly delicate situation.'

'In short,' Kurama said with a sharp smile, 'you want to know if we'll have a spat and send the Makai to war again. And you're warning me indirectly that if I do anything…rash…you may be forced to see to it that there are consequences.'

'……something like that.'

'I don't think that's going to happen,' Kurama said thoughtfully.

'He's not a very easy one to find or keep.'

'I'm well aware of that.' Unspoken, the fact that Kurama had known him longer lingered between them. 'There will be no……nothing that turns into an international affair.'

'Good.' Mukuro relaxed. 'Would you like some tea?'

'Tea would be good.'

When Kurama emerged from Mukuro's quarters a few minutes later, Hiei was leaning against a wall, trying valiantly to look innocent.

'You heard?' Kurama inquired.

Hiei contrived to look sheepish without changing his expression.

'Ah.'

'A spat, fox?'

'Spat. Tiff. Quarrel. It's a simple concept.'

'I didn't ask for a thesaurus.'

'I'm not entirely certain we can do anything without fighting at least a little, are you?'

'Perhaps not,' Hiei said, and fell into step beside him. 'So this was all she wanted to say?'

'Apparently so. I didn't think she'd get to it so quickly, though. I have the rest of the weekend free now.' His eyes twinkled. 'Want to work?'

'Our kind of work, or my kind of work?'

'Ours, certainly.'

'Wouldn't that be embezzlement in this case?' Hiei pondered.

'I swear I'll return everything by Monday,' Kurama said.

'I suppose I could call it testing our security measures,' Hiei allowed with a straight face.

There was silence. Then,

'Don't security consultants require some sort of fee?' Kurama tapped a finger on his nose.

'I believe that's customary,' Hiei agreed.

'And who better to authorise the fee than the heir to the land?' Kurama continued, looking positively blissful.

'The lady, is who,' Mukuro said sharply from behind them. 'You'll both be locked up in your rooms if you're not on your best behaviour.'

They both grinned, identical half-smirks. 'Lock_ us_ up?' Kurama chuckled.

'Or I could simply invite your mother to come pick you up,' Mukuro said. Hiei's head whipped around to look at Kurama, whose grin slid a few inches south at that statement. The jaganshi looked on the verge of actually smiling.

'Or you could do that,' Kurama agreed. 'Oh well. Can't have all the fun.'

A/N: really short, I know; this was part of a longer chapter, but the mood was completely different, so I split it up. The next part should be up in a couple of days. Sunday morning, perhaps, or Saturday night. Also, tlof has now broken 150 reviews! I thank you all so much for that.


	20. The sharing of beds

_**The sharing of beds **_

Kurama was fast asleep in Mukuro's comfortable guest bedroom when a bare foot kicked lightly at his leg. He opened one eye, wide awake and not very happy about it.

Hiei quirked an eyebrow, perched neatly on the foot of Kurama's bed. 'You're growing old.'

'Nnh. I know your aura enough not to wake.'

'Okay. ……well, move over.'

Kurama blinked. Then he blinked some more.

Hiei waited impatiently, arms crossed at his chest. His cloak lay puddled on the floor, along with his boots and various weapons. 'Well?'

Kurama sat up on his bed. 'Hiei?'

'Are you deaf?' Hiei gestured impatiently. 'I said move over. I won't fall off the bed in the middle of the night because you're being a greedy pig. And you better not hog the blankets.'

'It would help if we were having the same conversation,' Kurama noted. 'What are you doing here?'

'I thought,' Hiei said, substituting belligerence for uncertainty, 'that I was making myself extremely clear.'

'That's usually on the windowsill, when you're footloose in the human world,' Kurama pointed out. 'Or when someone's trying to kill us.'

'I hear rustling in the shadows,' Hiei said with a straight face. 'Or do you want me to leave?'

'No,' Kurama replied. 'I was just caught off guard.' He shifted to a side and lay back down, facing Hiei. 'So?'

Hiei shrugged and walked around the bed to the other side; he sat down next to Kurama's back and waited.

Kurama stiffened. There was an implicit challenge in what Hiei had done; placing himself at his back, out of his range of vision. If he turned, or displayed nervousness, he would lose.

'So why this sudden decision?' he inquired calmly.

Hiei didn't budge. 'You did say it was my move last time.'

'I would have preferred you with fewer clothes, then,' Kurama suggested. 'In the interest of convenience,' he added piously.

'Life is a series of constant disappointments.'

'So this is your move?'

'Yes.'

'Okay.' Kurama shrugged, which was surprisingly hard to do lying down on his side.

'Your little chat with Mukuro…'

'Yes.'

'You made what was in effect a declaration of ownership.'

'If you really believed that, I'd be dead by now.'

Silence. Kurama smirked.

'Hiiieiii…'

'What?'

'If you're going to get in, get in. You're letting the cold in.'

'You're a shameless sybarite.'

'Correction. I'm a _cold_ shameless sybarite.' And he shivered for effect. There was a sort of amused grunt from Hiei, and then the blanket was tucked in at his back, separating them.

'Satisfied?'

'Not entirely,' Kurama said, knowing Hiei would hear the leer in his tone.

'Because,' Hiei said, 'such a declaration would imply a greater degree of involvement than I believe you're interested in.'

Kurama blinked, readjusting. 'What did I say to give you that impression?'

Hiei was silent. Kurama itched to turn over and see his expression, but didn't. Finally, Hiei put both his legs on the bed, turning to rest against the plain wooden headboard. 'This is not a game.'

Kurama hesitated, then turned to sit facing him. He saw the flicker of triumph in Hiei's eyes before the customary blankness settled back in.

No matter. He would make up for this loss.

'Do you think it's only a game?'

'No. I merely wanted to judge your response to that.'

'I believe I'm rubbing off on you,' Kurama said ruefully. 'And did I pass your little test?'

'Hn.'

'Because this isn't easy for me, either,' he said seriously. 'There's a reason why I'm doing this, why we're doing this. I'm playing, yes, and you're fighting, because that's what we know, that's what we're easy with. And what I know of you I want from you, so I'm fine with that. Do you understand?'

'Yes,' Hiei said quietly. 'That's what I'd hoped, but I couldn't tell.'

'After all this time?'

'I still don't play cards with you.'

'Ah, but you know I don't play fair.'

'I think I might have heard of that,' he agreed, and uncrossed his arms. Kurama took the subtly offered shoulder and settled against him comfortably with a smirk. Hiei tilted his head against the wood, relaxing.

The fox yawned. 'Are you going to sleep sitting up?'

'I always do.'

'Masochist.'

'You've done it too.'

'Not voluntarily,' Kurama objected, but he stayed leaning against the jaganshi's warmer body. 'Hey, Hiei.'

'What?'

'You're not getting all twitchy when I touch you.'

'So?'

'Why?'

He shrugged. 'It's necessary. And the first time, that was just shock.'

'So you've been hugged before?'

'……no.'

'See? Panic. It's not as bad once you get used to it.'

'Panic?'

'Hugging.'

'Oh.' Hiei hesitated. 'This does not give you permission to hug me whenever you feel like it.'

'If you say so, Hiei,' Kurama replied demurely, accepting the silent challenge. 'So are you going to sleep?'

'I would have,' Hiei pointed out, 'if you didn't have the urge to make useless conversation.'

Kurama pouted. It was something he did rarely, but with expertise. 'You're the one who woke me up.'

'True. Now shut up.'

'Won't.'

'I'll hurt you,' Hiei said half-heartedly, and wasn't really surprised when Kurama didn't react.

'I'll stay awake,' Kurama offered. He didn't have any trouble falling asleep in strange situations, but Hiei did; possibly because Hiei's traps needed him to be awake to function.

'It's not necessary. This place is safe. We can both sleep.'

A vine hovered silently before him for emphasis, and Kurama smiled lazily. 'Did you think I'd sleep without guarding myself? Even in your domain? Even with you?'

'Especially here,' Hiei said. 'There are a few who'd want to attack me, even if I am the heir. Mukuro's all for the aristocracy of talent, but there are others who don't share her opinion. Particularly where a Forbidden Child is concerned.'

'I know,' Kurama said quietly. 'I'm sorry.'

'When was it your fault? You're one of the few who's never considered it.'

Kurama smiled and tucked his head into Hiei's neck, mouth near the vulnerable throat, which he knew would make him as twitchy as Kurama had been when he sat at his back. Oh, payback was good.

'Hiei? Whose move is it?'

'Yours,' Hiei said firmly.

'Okay.' And he tilted his head up, tugged Hiei down and kissed him.

Hiei was still, unresponsive, but then he'd expected him to be. It lasted a few seconds, and then Kurama pulled away, resigned. 'All right, if you're going to hit me again, you can do it now. I'm braced.'

'I'm not,' Hiei said, sounding slightly stunned at the revelation.

Kurama grinned. 'So, again? With participation?'

'I want to sleep,' Hiei mumbled, turning an odd shade of magenta, and he shoved Kurama away. The fox lay down, facing away from him, a pleased smirk on his lips. He knew Hiei would understand the implications of how he'd chosen to lie down.

'Good night, Hiei,' he said cheerily.

'Hn.'

Kurama shrugged; couldn't have everything. He snuggled into the sheets and closed his eyes. He'd managed to threaten a queen, kiss her heir, and he was fairly sure Hiei hadn't noticed him stealing the key to the treasury from Mukuro; yes, life was good.

'And fox?'

'Yes?'

'That key had better be replaced before we leave.'

Oh, well. He'd still have the little jade dancer he'd pocketed on the way in. He grinned and nodded.

There was a long silence, and then Hiei huffed, irritated. 'I'm an idiot,' he growled, and then Kurama felt him lie down next to him, back to back. Hiei's slightly higher body warmth was something he could feel all the way down his back; shoulder to shoulder, spine to spine. It nearly turned him boneless with bliss.

'Hiei?'

'Hmmm?' Hiei said, sounding a little fuzzy.

'Mind turning over?'

There was a long silence. Then the mattress shifted, and he could feel Hiei's eyes on the back of his head. He snuggled backwards until they were pressed together again. He moved his head back into Hiei's, and felt an answering pressure; sleek, coarse hair touching his cheek lightly, and a nose pushed into the back of his neck, a touch that was both soothing and possessive.

'Good night,' he said again, and surrendered to sleep and pleasure.

A/N: the next chapter will explain why Kurama expected to be hit.


	21. The hell you say

_**The hell you say**_

A/N: in response to a comment by Anna Jaganshi that somehow I manage to turn everything serious. I felt the need to write something which had nothing serious in it. Ladies and gentlemen (_are_ there gentlemen out there who read my shounen-ai?), the fluff is here. Oh, this is a sort of side-story which explains why Kurama expected to be hit in chapter 20. Oh, and happydemonhobo: your review of the Mukuro chapter was hilarious – meow, indeed. He did come across rather catty there, didn't he? And he is catty even in the series.

'Hiei?'

Hiei glared.

'Hiei……'

'………'

'Hiiieeiiiii……'

'………'

'You can't ignore me forever, you know.'

'Watch me.'

'See?'

'……'

'It's not like I did something horrible, you know.'

Hiei made a few noises. 'Horrible? Horrible? You……you…'

'Kissed you?' Kurama offered helpfully.

Glower. Grimace. Kick. 'Yes. That.'

'Oh. I hadn't realised that was a problem.'

'A problem? You didn't even give me any warning.'

'I wasn't aware that I had to give you warning every time I kissed you.'

'Stop _saying_ it!' Hiei hissed.

'Saying what?'

'That you– you–'

Kurama smirked. 'Kissed you?'

'Yes!!'

'Well, there are a number of practical euphemisms in that case. I could, for instance, say that it was an experiment in osculation.'

'Oscu-what?'

'Osculation. The art of kissing.'

Hiei gave him a strange look. _'This_ is what you were doing in that school of yours? Looking up technical terms for this stuff?'

Kurama looked modest. 'Well, the textbooks are terribly boring when you know them all already.'

'You're hopeless.'

He bulldozed on. '…and if you prefer, we could use less technical terms. Necking? Smooching? Exchanging gobstoppers? Tonsil hockey?'

'Hockey?'

'You know hockey. We watched a match a while ago. You know. The thing with the long sticks and the holes and the weird players who keep spitting.'

Hiei looked faintly disgusted, as if he'd found a half-eaten worm in his half-eaten apple. 'I really really did not need that image. ……in fact, didn't I tell you I didn't want to discuss this?'

'You did. But I'm under no compulsion to agree.'

'You said we were going to the library!'

'I didn't say what I'd do after that.'

'I should kill you.'

'Which will completely ruin your chances of getting to do that again.'

'……'

'Because,' Kurama continued cheerfully, 'I was under the impression that you quite enjoyed it – right up to when you decked me.'

'_Enjoyed it_?'

'The kiss,' Kurama elaborated. He was obviously enjoying this.

'Would you shut up?!'

'So that's a yes, then?'

Hiei sputtered some more. 'Er,' he said finally. 'Gah.'

The grin was back, and it wasn't leaving. 'Definitely a yes.'

'That's it. I'm leaving.'

'And if you really mean that,' Kurama commented lazily, 'you'd have gone instead of stammering at me for the last twenty minutes.'

'I was not stammering.'

'Whatever you say, Hiei. So…you want to do it again?'

'W-wh-'

'Seeeee?'

'I may not kill you, Kurama, but I _will_ damage your voice box.'


	22. A policy of selfishness: part 1

_**A policy of selfishness**_

'You're going to hate me for this,' Kurama commented casually as he walked.

Cradled in his arms so very carefully, Hiei slept – no, hibernated. The fight with Sensui had nearly killed him, even if he'd never admit it.

'The minute you wake up, you're going to slice me into little bitty bits, aren't you, Hiei?'

The pale face remained still. Kurama looked down at it briefly, and nearly smiled. He looked so young like this, asleep and vulnerable and trusting – so much trust in him, because Kurama knew that if it had been anyone with him other than Yusuke or Kurama himself, Hiei would never have allowed himself the luxury of sleep.

'And I've just betrayed that trust,' Kurama said to himself. He stepped out of the light of a streetlamp, seeking the shadows instinctively. Anyone seeing the two of them would almost certainly get the wrong idea.

'Leaving you there would have been a mistake,' he continued. 'Everyone who was trying to get through the barrier knew who was trying to keep it closed. They knew who we were. They'd have killed you, and you had nothing left to fight them with. I'm sorry I did this, but I had no choice. And you're going to hate me for trapping you here again, and I know you'd rather have taken your chances there than come back to this world. I know that, I do. It's just that……'

Kurama shifted Hiei slightly. He was heavier than he looked. The jaganshi stirred, but he didn't wake. So. Still time, then. It was nearly three hours now. He picked up his pace. The inevitable conflict that was going to happen when Hiei woke……he wanted it to happen in the privacy of his home. And as soon as possible, before Hiei had a chance to really work himself into a fury. It was why he'd made only the briefest farewells before picking Hiei up – literally – and heading back home.

'I don't know why, honestly. You told me you wanted to go home. I even said I'd help you. And the first opportunity I get I just……shove you onto Puu and bring you home. Really, I'm such an idiot at times. But I…I didn't want to…see you go. I couldn't have. And I guess I really am selfish. Or at least that's what you'd call me if you were awake right now. After you stabbed me several times, of course.'

One-handed, he picked his house's lock; the key was somewhere in the Makai, possibly, or several hundred feet below Mushiori City. It took a bit of fumbling to do it with Hiei slumped in his arms, but this was his job, and Kurama was inside in less than a minute.

The house was silent. Of course it was. He'd taken the liberty of introducing a soporific into the air vents a few years ago, and it had activated at his silent command once he was within ten metres of the house. He was undisturbed as he carried Hiei to his room, which was the only place in the house he tolerated other than the roof, and laid him down on the bed. He lay down next to Hiei, too tired to go fish for extra bedding and grateful for the softness of the mattress. He felt all his muscles relax, tension and pain draining slowly out of him. It would take a few days to heal everything, considering his exhaustion, but that was okay.

'You're going to hate me,' he murmured, tracking a finger slowly down Hiei's cheek; they weren't touching at all except for that fingertip, and it felt as if all his nerves (the ones that weren't complaining loudly from his fights) were focused there. 'I have to remember that. Anything you say when you wake up……you're going to hate me, Hiei. But I don't really think I'd do anything else, even if I could do it over again. And I could apologise, but it would be a lie.'

His eyes were closing, even though he'd wanted to wait for Hiei to wake up. Hiei hated it when they both slept, no matter how many times Kurama told him that his plants would warn him. Still, he'd been quite relaxed in Kurama's room recently, so maybe he wouldn't mind it too much.

Besides, Hiei would be reserving running Kurama through for a much larger offence.

And he was so tired.

'You're going to hate me, aren't you,' he said one last time, because he had to get used to the idea, and it would hurt even more if he didn't; and then he closed his eyes.


	23. Waking in foreign lands: part 2

_**Waking in foreign lands**_

Even before he opened his eyes, the smell assaulted him – smoke, pollution, the combined stink of several million people, sweat, perfume, cynicism – the smell of a world he hated.

And one he thought he'd left behind.

'No,' he whispered, panicking silently. 'No, damn it, no.'

Red hair spilled over his throat, cold and soft. So Kurama was here. Cautiously, he turned his head. The fox was asleep, looking more peaceful than he had since the Dark Tournament. Their faces were about a foot apart, and as Hiei looked at him he felt a surge of sudden violent hatred well up in him.

He sat up, still a little shaky, and closed his eyes for a moment.

He'd known. He'd known Hiei wanted to be left behind, Hiei had told him so, and he'd gone against his wishes and dragged him back here. There was no excuse for what he'd done, and the anger that seethed in him demanded recompense.

He clamped one hand around a handful of tattered white tunic and yanked the redhead up roughly. Sleepy green eyes blinked open and Hiei could clearly see the moment when awareness returned. 'Hiei,' Kurama said quietly, meeting his gaze squarely.

His next word was one syllable of pure rage, soft and deadly. 'Why?'

The lack of surprise or apology in those pretty green eyes made him shift his grip to Kurama's throat, the other hand gripping his chin, forcing their eyes to meet. 'Tell me! _Why_?'

Kurama shut down.

There was no other word he could think of to describe the graduated walling-off of his emotions; first the muscles relaxed, then the eyes went blank, and he didn't have to hear his voice reply to know that it would be empty and dead of anything that Kurama didn't want it to have.

'I'll never forgive you for this,' he said, leaning in close for emphasis. The situation would have looked incredibly compromising if it wasn't for the anger blazing from him and the utter emotionlessness of Kurama beside him. 'Never. Do you hear me?'

'I knew you wouldn't,' Kurama whispered – he couldn't do much more with the grip Hiei had on his air supply.

The anger was dwindling into a sick sort of taste in his mouth, but the hate was still there. 'I want,' he said, 'to go home. That's all I wanted.'

'I know.'

'You've betrayed me again,' he said flatly.

'That's one way to see it.'

'What's the other?' Hiei demanded.

Those eyes slid to the side. 'You won't want to hear it, and I don't want to say it.'

'You owe me an explanation.'

'If I'd left you behind there……you might have died, Hiei. The other youkai knew you were there. They knew you were responsible for the tunnel closing, partly, at least. They'd have turned on you, and they'd have killed you, and I couldn't let that happen.'

'And if they had, that would have been my choice,' Hiei said. He knew his fingers were digging bruises into Kurama's jaw and throat, but he couldn't care. 'My choice.'

'And you weren't conscious to make it. I brought you back. That was mine.'

Hiei let go. Kurama stayed still. 'You should have left me there.'

'I did what I thought was right.'

'You did what you wanted.'

'What I want is what is right, because what is right for me is what is right. I've never seen right and wrong on a more than personal scale.'

And damn, he hated how detached Kurama could sound. 'Hate you.'

'I know,' Kurama whispered, and there was no reason to whisper this time but he did. 'I knew you would. But I won't let you die. Not like this.'

'And what if I wanted to die?'

'Do you?'

'Maybe,' Hiei admitted.

'Why?'

And when had he become the one answering the questions?

He exhaled. 'There's nothing for me here. There's nothing here I want. Here, in the Makai, anywhere.'

'You truly believe no one here cares for you at all?'

Hiei remained silent.

'You have nothing holding you here?' Kurama continued, and there was a pressing edge to his voice that made Hiei beyond uncomfortable. 'Nothing at all?'

'No,' he snapped. 'Nothing.' Because that was easier than giving the answer real thought. Real thought, Hiei had found, was not always a good thing.

'Ah,' Kurama said quietly. 'I see. I apologise, then.'

The rapid about-turn left him blinking. 'What?'

That dead quality had returned. Blank, cut off, no unauthorised access, trespassers will be persecuted. He moved away, and the scent of earth, spice and the Makai that Hiei had felt from him left with him. 'I can assure you that I will make no further attempt to…you will return to the Makai, Hiei. My word on it.'

Kurama turned away, and Hiei had a horrible sinking feeling that he had failed to grasp something important.

And when Kurama gave him the Black Chapter video two days later, his suspicions were confirmed.

But what he had missed……that, he did not discover for a very long time.

A/N: the pun off prosecution is intentional. Just in case anyone doubts. There will be a short posted in a couple of days that deal with the conclusion of the whole bloody mess. This is my first truly not-happy fic about these two. No funnies. Really. And the sequel isn't too happy either. Some really quick updates this time - just to keep you all happy, because after my finals begin I will be gone for a couple of weeks at least. Oh, 200 reviews! Woot! ShadeSpirit, contact me for a giftfic if you're interested - with thanks for being the 200th reviewer.

Thanks to all of you.


	24. No returns or exchanges: part 3

_**No returns or exchanges**_

The videotape was lighter than he'd thought, nestled in his hand. In all the confusion surrounding Sensui's death, it had been easy to track the remnants of that ugly energy to Sensui's penthouse apartment downtown. Easy to crack the safe there, remove the small sealed videotape and steal away without anyone noticing.

If he left it on the desk, Hiei would certainly find it. Find it, and know that he was meant to take it. If he put it in his closet, Hiei would never know; he never pried into Kurama's life any more than Kurama pried into his. If he destroyed it, no one would ever know – and such a vile thing deserved to be destroyed. It spoke volumes about the Reikai that they would take the trouble to make such a tape.

He tossed it idly from one hand to another.

_I hate you_, he'd said fiercely. _I'll never forgive you_.

And if this was what it took……

And so he placed the video on the desk and lay down and closed his eyes; and when, in the middle of the night, he heard Hiei come in, he didn't react. Didn't react when nearly soundless footsteps went to the desk; when there was a thin, sharp inhalation of surprise, and then the light click of something being picked up; when the footsteps retreated, much faster than they'd entered.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The videotape shattered, the tape inside unravelling and flying away in the breeze.

'So much for the Black Chapters,' Hiei said grimly.

He felt a moment of naked surprise. 'Hiei?'

'I don't need something like that to go home.'

'Oh.' Kurama hesitated. 'If there's anything I can do……'

'Don't trouble yourself over this,' Hiei said. 'You've intervened enough where I'm concerned.'

'I suppose I have,' Kurama said a little sadly. 'Hiei, I'm……I won't apologise, but I wish……' he hesitated again. 'Never mind.'

He couldn't see Hiei's face at all, since they were sitting at right angles as usual. He was going to turn a little, but then Hiei stood. 'For what it's worth, Kurama. I did not mean what I said that day.'

He began to walk away. There were things Kurama needed to tell him, but he found himself unable to call him back, and he could only watch silently as Hiei disappeared into the trees.

'And I wonder,' he said quietly to himself, 'what you would say if I told you that I didn't regret anything at all.'


	25. Three variables of desire

_**Three variables of desire**_

'There are three reasons why anyone does anything,' Kurama instructed as Hiei watched the chessboard intently, waiting for his move, learning his strategy as he learned the game. The fox was mildly amused; Hiei was behaving like he did when he watched a new enemy – noting down style, actions, tactics, fiercely focused on the battle despite all the swagger that accompanied his fighting. There was a tiny furrow in his brow, and his incongruously childlike features were suddenly years older. Chess suited Hiei, he decided. Battle suited him; chess _was_ battle, and he had no doubt that Hiei would be a formidable player once he got over his initial dislike of the apparent frivolity of the game.

Hiei understood battle. It was his life, in more ways than one.

'Three reasons?'

'A broad definition, that is,' Kurama noted. 'This is a perfect example, really. First comes desire. What you want to achieve. In this case, you're trying to checkmate my king. And leaving your rook _here,_' he gestured at Hiei's end of the board, where the rook lurked behind a row of three pawns, 'is not going to help, because in three moves I'll be taking your white bishop unless you get the rook over there to support it.'

Hiei glared, but moved a pawn two places forward.

'Which brings me to the next move, and the next reason.' Kurama castled, leaving Hiei's bishop with an empty line of fire and foiling Hiei's strategy. 'Necessity. In this case, mine. I have to protect the king, even though he's the weakest of the pieces, and that dictates my choices and forces me to make less than optimal decisions about what I want to do.'

'The third?' Hiei asked, shooting him a brief look before his eyes returned to the board.

'Destruction,' Kurama replied. 'Everything alive knows instinctively what can destroy it, and avoids it. Destruction, also, dictates choices. In our case, it is the first, although it is normally necessity that motivates most people.'

'You think too much,' Hiei said dismissively, but he looked intrigued by the idea, and Kurama knew he'd bring it up again when it had made its way through the various filters of his complex set of principles. Hiei had the most rigid ethical code of anyone Kurama knew, even if the code itself was warped at best and utterly irrational at its worst.

'Do I?' Kurama enquired, and placed Hiei's king in check.

They played four games, all of which Hiei lost; Kurama knew better than to allow Hiei the luxury of a less than genuine victory, and Hiei would probably have taken his head off if he'd tried. It was typical of Hiei, though, that he simply took the defeats in stride and forged on, relentless.

He was, in that, much more graceful than Kurama had ever been.

When they finished, Kurama began gathering up the small magnetic pieces, clicking them into their slots in the chessboard. He looked up at Hiei, who was sitting at the opposite end of his bed. 'Are you just going to sit there staring at me, or should I give up and ask you to tell me whatever it is that's troubling you?' he asked calmly.

Hiei continued to stare. Kurama huffed and returned to putting the pieces away, tucking the cheap chess set away next to the pretty jade dancer on his mantelpiece.

Hiei let him finish, let him return and pick up a book before he kicked his leg lightly.

'All right. What is it?'

'Come here,' Hiei ordered.

Perversely, Kurama snuggled into the pillow at his end and refused to comply.

A small but insanely strong hand clamped around his wrist, and yanked. Kurama found himself sprawled across the bed, on his stomach; his face next to Hiei's leg. 'I _said_, come here.'

'You squished my book,' Kurama complained, rolling over.

'You didn't listen.'

'I'm under no compulsion to listen to anything you say,' Kurama said, the playfulness vanishing in an instant.

'No,' Hiei agreed. 'And I'm under no compulsion not to…squish…your book.' His face twisted lightly at the word _squish_, it being terribly unmanly and all.

'Possibly,' Kurama agreed brightly. 'So, since I'm here…' he trailed off and gave Hiei his best youko eyes.

'Whose move is it?' Hiei asked in a low voice. It was, Kurama had realised over the past weeks, his version of an invitation.

'Mine,' Kurama purred and pounced.

A while later, once his head had cleared, Hiei frowned. 'It wasn't your move.'

'So I cheat. You're surprised?'

'Maybe. A little.'

'That I cheated?'

'That you didn't wait for my move.'

'You'll make it all the faster if you feel off-balance,' Kurama smirked. 'You're terribly scrupulous that way. It's quite endearing.'

Hiei hit him with a pillow. 'You're an unwholesome creature.'

'I know. And it's your move now.'

Hiei watched the redhead as he lay sprawled half over him, half beside. Eyes half-closed, looking utterly pleased with himself. That simply would not do.

'You said you'd tell me one true thing you felt for me,' Hiei said slowly.

Kurama's eyes narrowed fractionally. 'Yes…'

'Tell me.'

'It's not my move, Hiei.'

'Asking you is mine.'

There was a long silence. 'Clever,' Kurama said finally. 'I hadn't thought of that. But it's not fair. Unfair to make the actions of others your move.'

'So I cheat. You're surprised?'

Kurama laughed. 'You're too sharp for me at all the wrong moments.'

Hiei waited. Kurama was quiet.

'One true thing,' he mused finally. 'There are so many.'

'There's nothing stopping you at one,' Hiei observed.

'True,' Kurama said. He watched Hiei lazily, one leg ticking back and forth, brushing Hiei's foot with every move. 'You know, I do believe you're flirting.'

'So do I,' Hiei said wryly.

'You don't seem too comfortable with it.'

'Deliver me,' he murmured, deadpan.

'All right.' Kurama took in a breath. 'Is it sappy you're looking for?'

'Sappy?'

'Because if you expect me to call your eyes garnet orbs that capture my soul, you _will_ be disappointed.'

Hiei looked faintly sick. 'Er. No.'

'Or I could do cute. Tell you how you look when I brush your hair down, like a little drowned rat. Or when you eat ice-cream.'

Hiei gave him a Look that said exactly what he thought of that.

'Then wild and passionate wouldn't cut it either.'

'Try for truthful.'

'Hush! Such language.' The serious façade broke, and Kurama began to chuckle. 'The children might hear you.'

'You already did,' Hiei retorted.

Kurama pouted. 'You don't appreciate me.'

'You're trying to evade. Obviously, I don't.'

'Then I suppose I could say that you were a desire.'

Hiei lifted an eyebrow at the tense.

'Then,' Kurama continued, closing his eyes, 'you became a necessity.'

'Kurama…' Hiei said quietly, and ran a hand down his cheek, the other laid on his hair. The fox's eyes opened at the unaccustomed gesture, light and slow and almost tender. It was the second time Hiei had openly initiated any touch, and he savoured the feeling before he took a deep breath and finished.

'And now, I'm afraid you've become rather tangled up with my destruction.'

The hand in his hair tightened even further, and Kurama couldn't look up, as much as he wanted to, and the minutes ticked by.

'……Hiei?'

'That's extraordinarily indiscreet of you,' Hiei said, voice strained.

'I'd be a fool for that no matter what the situation was,' Kurama replied honestly. 'It's not a very rational or sensible decision. Unfortunately, it's not something I can help anymore. You'll just have to put up with me now.'

'Not if I decide not to.'

'Then I'll just have to kill you,' Kurama said and let Hiei decide how serious he was. 'I'm very fond of pretty, shiny things. I don't share, and I don't let go. And the definition of a thief is that he doesn't care if the prey is willing.'

'I'm your prey, then?'

'An objective, perhaps,' Kurama corrected. 'You're entirely too dangerous to be prey.'

There was a smile in his voice when he countered, 'And you're calling me pretty and shiny?'

'Or should I be going for the garnet orbs angle instead?'

'No,' Hiei said after a pause. 'No, I think this was better.'

'Hn.'

'I thought that was my line.'

'Sorry,' he said insincerely. 'I'm entitled to your lines now.'

'You came up with that conclusion all by yourself?'

'You are in my bed,' Kurama pointed out.

'I suppose it's only fair,' Hiei allowed.

'Clearly.'

'But you can't use it outside the bed. In the interest of fairness.'

'But the room's mine too.'

'Shut up, fox.'

Kurama grinned, rubbing his victory in. Hiei snorted, acknowledging it, and pushed off the bed, heading for the window.

'You're not staying?' Kurama asked, even though he'd expected this. When it came to emotional matters, Hiei preferred flight to fight.

'No,' Hiei snapped curtly. Then he hesitated. 'You are, you know,' he said.

'What?' Kurama asked, because he wanted to hear it aloud.

'Destruction.'

'Yours?' Kurama said quietly.

'Mine.'


	26. Secrets, dens and treasure

_**Secrets, dens and treasure**_

'Where are we going?' Hiei asked with what would have been impatience if the whole deadpan thing he usually had going permitted it.

Kurama's eyes sparkled, and he laid the tip of a long finger to his lips. 'It's a secret.'

Hiei huffed and stepped on a small plant with rather more force than necessary. Kurama frowned, and behind them the plant straightened up and grew a few feet in silent apology.

'If it's any help, we're almost there.'

'Small recompense for trudging through _this _for the last four hours.' The gesture encompassed the thick, humid undergrowth of the rainforest they were in, the tiny insects that had plagued Hiei until Kurama had produced a repellent, the soggy ground that was steadily soaking his boots and the rainwater that was dripping on his head. It also included the silver-haired youkai beside him, who looked strangely drunk on whatever secret he was hiding. 'If this is your idea of a romantic getaway, fox, I can understand why you've had trouble with your long-term relationships.'

'I'm not entirely sure whether you intended that as an insult, Hiei,' Kurama said sweetly. 'If you could clarify that for me, it would be helpful in deciding whether to laugh or do something painful to you.'

Hiei glowered.

Kurama clicked his tongue. 'Hiei? Duck.'

Years of synchronisation, of training each other to obey instantly under certain circumstances, and Kurama never used that tone unless he meant it; Hiei flung himself to the side and down just as a thin purple mist filled the air above them. He caught a faint whiff of it before Kurama warned, 'Don't breathe.'

Still standing and apparently oblivious to whatever nasty concoction it was, Kurama clicked his tongue again. 'Sorry, I forgot about that one.'

Hiei wondered whether he could risk kicking Kurama in the head and decided regretfully that he couldn't. He'd lost his way about two hours ago; Kurama was the one with the nose for tracking, and he was catty enough to shield from the jagan and leave Hiei in there until he finished sulking. He'd done it before. 'Fox. Are there any other traps you've forgotten about?'

'Well, if I'd forgotten them I wouldn't know they were there,' Kurama pointed out logically.

Hiei raised himself off the ground. Great. Now his cloak was soggy too. He tossed it off, slung it over his shoulder and gave Kurama his best glare. 'Kurama,' he said warningly.

'Okay, okay. That was the last one.'

'And you made me do that just for the last remark, didn't you?'

'What was that? You really shouldn't mumble, Hiei.'

'I'm going to kill you someday.'

Kurama laughed. It wasn't as warm as the more soothing tones of his human aspect, but it was still cheerful and lively and completely at odds with the reputation he had. 'No better way to go,' he replied. 'I've actually thought about it.'

Hiei looked up at him, struck by the statement. 'Fox……'

'I'd rather go by a friend's hand than picking a battle with someone stronger than I am or getting myself killed stealing something idiotic. Really, the last time was ridiculous. I'm glad not many know how I died. Yomi's already teasing me; the last thing I want is for the rest of the Makai to start as well.'

'Insane,' Hiei decided.

'We're here,' Kurama announced, blithely ignoring him.

_Here _appeared to be a solid, weed-covered rock wall. Then Kurama's energy flared, and the weeds parted obediently to reveal an opening in the rock, just enough for a small person to fit in it.

Kurama handed him a pencil torch and made a graceful gesture. 'You first.'

'This is embarrassing,' Hiei complained, but when he crouched and wriggled a little he found it easy to slip through. The tunnel – it was a tunnel – widened immediately until he could walk through it. He could hear paws behind him. Kurama had probably shifted, since neither of his humanoid forms would have managed to get in. The floor of the tunnel was dusty and covered with pawprints which looked old. The tunnel was several hundred metres long, carefully smooth and even, heading down into the earth. His claustrophobia threatened to rise, but Hiei quelled it, hands clenching into fists instinctively.

A cool, wet nose pushed at one of his hands. Questioning, reassuring. A low, worried whine.

'I'm fine,' he gritted out. 'I am just……fine.'

He struggled on for another two minutes before the tunnel widened into a large, pitch-black chamber. Hiei stepped into the larger space gratefully and leaned against the wall in a rare moment of overt weakness, breathing slightly quicker than normal.

'Hiei.' Soft, worried tones. Strong arms closed around him. 'I'm sorry, I didn't think……'

'It's not important,' Hiei said. 'It's passing already.' And it was.

'Still, I–'

'Shut up.' Hiei pushed himself away from the wall. 'What did you want to show me?'

He couldn't see Kurama's face, but he could hear the grin. 'We're already there.'

The soft click of seeds hitting the ground, and then light. So much light, too much light, glittering off jewels and gold and silver and glass, the light from one single plant reflected a hundred thousand times until the whole chamber _glowed_.

Hiei's eyes widened. It was more wealth than even he'd seen in his life. Granted, Hiei had rarely had use for storing what he stole, preferring to spend it on information and food. And he'd known, of course; he had grown up with bandits and Youko Kurama was a legend of legends. But to see it for himself……

Kurama laughed happily – he was back in his human form, Hiei noticed – and twirled in the centre of the room, one leg kicking a heavy gold goblet and sending it rolling across the floor. 'Like it?'

He nodded silently, still taking it in. Jewels dominated the hoard, but it wasn't all precious, Hiei realised. There were glass trinkets, pretty but nearly worthless, mirrors with interesting brass gilding, polished pebbles that looked as if they'd been picked up on the beach. Nostalgia, he guessed. Kurama was the type. He picked up a semi-precious stone, rolled it thoughtfully in his hands. 'How many more?'

'I don't know. Fifty, sixty? And of course, the paintings and delicate artefacts I redistributed immediately. I have no safe place to keep those.'

'You really do have a fondness for pretty, shiny things,' Hiei commented.

'Of course I do. Fox, after all.'

Hiei watched, fascinated, as the redhead wandered through the stash, touching here, dusting something off, lifting the odd piece to his eye and examining it.

'I may have to dispose of some of these,' Kurama remarked. 'I think I'm going to move out finally, and I'm sick of pretending to be an impoverished student.'

Hiei snorted. Nobody looking at Kurama's room would ever accuse him of poverty – of simple tastes, perhaps, but not of inexpensive ones. Still, the fox and Hiei had different standards when it came to living standards; Kurama enjoyed his creature comforts more than anyone else Hiei had met, even if he could rough it with the best of them. Fox mentality, he supposed. The den had to be a place of safety, comfort and warmth, always.

That was something about Kurama he was just beginning to realise; what the fox wanted – needed – was to belong. Whether it was in a place or with a person, he had a tendency to tie himself to things that Hiei didn't. It was his greatest strength and his greatest weakness all at once. And while he still couldn't quite believe that Kurama had chosen him of all people, he knew it wasn't incongruous with Kurama's character. Shiori lay at one end of his spectrum, Hiei at another; everyone else (a short list) fell somewhere in between.

'I didn't see any other footprints coming in,' Hiei observed neutrally as he leaned against the wall, one leg folded against it and the other straight down.

He knew, of course, but it was fun to watch Kurama when he was off balance. He usually came up with some of his most entertaining parries at those moments.

'Ah. Yes.'

'Why?'

'Well, I don't take kindly to thieves,' Kurama said tranquilly.

'I'd like you to know that I fully appreciate the irony of that statement.'

'You were intended to.' Kurama hummed abstractedly and continued his rummaging.

'That's not what I asked.'

'Then you know what I'll answer.'

It was, however, annoying that the fox always knew exactly what he was getting at. Even if Kurama was unable to win, he _knew, _and that never failed to irritate him. 'You,' he grumbled, 'are the most aggravating, infuriating creature I have ever had the misfortune to meet.'

'You love me for it,' Kurama said absently, back turned to him. A full second passed, and then Hiei reviewed the last sentence and froze.

'……Kurama?'

'On the other hand,' Kurama continued as if nothing had happened, 'think of all the people who could be here instead. Well, not _here_, because I'd have to kill them for it as a matter of principle, but with you. Botan, for instance. Or Koenma. Who, incidentally, would have a hissy fit of epic proportions if he came here, considering how many of the trinkets are from the Reikai.'

'Hn.'

'I thought you'd like to see this place, that's all. And I do need to visit every so often to keep the traps charged; I'll be going to several other dens this year; I'm actually late for the visits. Not being in the Makai is really troublesome for this kind of travel.' Kurama hesitated. 'Will you…would you like to come with me?'

'Are you going to forget any more traps?'

'That depends. Are you going to make any more comments?'

'I've seen the results of that,' Hiei admitted dryly.

'So will you?'

'Maybe,' Hiei allowed.

Kurama smiled, slow and dazzlingly bright, before returning to his task.

'What are you looking for?' Hiei asked, curious.

Kurama looked up at him. 'Something I wanted to give you. Ah, there it is.'

Hiei took the box Kurama offered him. 'What is it?'

'Open it.'

Hiei did. The only thing inside it was one of Kurama's trademark red roses, blood-coloured like his hair. A sort of crystal had been folded over it several times, enclosing the delicate petals in hard and brittle stone. The crystal and rose were both rather small, less than the size of his fist. The rose was dry and looked on the verge of withering. Kurama must have noticed, because he trapped the crystal between his hand and Hiei's, and when he pulled away the rose was fresh and blooming again. It was rather pretty, Hiei thought, but useless. He said as much, and Kurama smirked.

'It's a key.'

'A key?'

'Yes. It's infused with just enough of my energy to open any of my dens without triggering any of the self-destructs I've placed. I designed it in case I was badly injured and didn't have enough energy to open the wards.'

'A key to your dens,' Hiei said numbly.

'Something like that. I've given it enough power to last a decade or so; there's only so much I can do with a hybrid like this. I'm presuming you can get by the traps yourself, of course.'

'Why?'

'Well, you usually break into my apartment if I'm not in when you get there, but then my apartment isn't rigged to explode. So I thought of this. In case you need a place to go while you're here.'

Hiei hefted the crystal in his palm thoughtfully. It seemed heavier now, and not just because Kurama had freshened the rose. 'And what if I decide to make off with your treasure?'

'We both know you won't,' Kurama grinned. 'And I'd kind of have to kill you if you did. Instincts, you know. It's sloppy not to kill an intruder.'

'As if you could kill me.'

'And I doubt you would steal anything; you've got all this pride, and it would offend it. Besides, I don't think you could manage to spend everything I have even if you tried.'

'So why give it to me?'

'Just because,' Kurama said with a shrug. 'Well, I'm finished here.'

'You dragged me all the way here just to give me this.'

'Yes. Is that a problem?'

'No. It's not.' He made to shove it into his pocket, realised that his cloak was still dangling from one shoulder and glared at Kurama again. 'Is there any–'

'Here.'

A slender silver chain with a clasp, made to hook through a little hole in the crystal. Kurama had produced that with surprising speed, Hiei noted, and wondered what to think of that. He slipped it over his neck, another weight on his chest. And that made two necklaces now – two symbols, of abandonment and belonging.

It felt warm under his fingers.

Kurama smiled, rather smugly. 'Well, I'm done here,' he announced. 'We can leave now.'

'Hn.' Hiei didn't move, though, and there was something close to a smirk on his face. A very recognisable and rather contagious smirk, Kurama found, because he was starting to mirror it as Hiei stepped closer.

'Fox.'

'Hmm?'

'Whose move is it?'

A/N: reposting – posted an earlier draft by mistake. My bad! Oh, and Shiori will be in the next chapter. Just a teaser.


	27. Never ask a kitsune

A/N: Okay, this isn't the Shiori one. Sorry. This one is a gift-fic for ShadeSpirit. It doesn't belong in the timeline. Just so you know. With thanks for the reviews!

And for the record, Yusuke/Kuwabara squicks me. I'm all for Yusuke/Keiko and Kuwabara/Yukina (why, yes, that's _het_. You can all gasp in wonder now).

_**Never ask a kitsune**_

Yusuke fidgeted.

Kurama sighed and put down the history notes he'd been attempting to drill into Yusuke's (rather distracted) mind. This was obviously a prelude to something Yusuke judged to be a) embarrassing, b) possibly requiring Kurama to do something painful to him, or c) a combination of both.

But he waited another forty seconds before asking him what was wrong, because Kurama was just evil that way.

'See, uh, this…'

'Yes?'

'Well, I was just wondering…'

'Yes?' Kurama repeated patiently.

'About you and Hiei.'

'Ah.'

A ghastly silence fell as Yusuke waited for deliverance. Kurama gave him another moment to twitch before he asked, 'What about us?'

'Well, I heard his voice on the phone the other day when I called to ask you to come over to Genkai's on Thursday.'

'Oh, that. He was there for a while.'

Yusuke looked intrigued. 'Really?'

'He always spends the night when it's raining,' Kurama explained. 'He doesn't really have anywhere else to go, so I let him stay with me. He sleeps in the park, and he doesn't like rain, so.'

'Oh. Okay.' Yusuke chuckled. 'Guess Shizuru was just having me on, then.'

'Shizuru? What was she saying?'

Squirm. Fidget. Twitch. 'See, Kuwabara and I were roughhousing, like we always do, and Shizuru came in and broke us up.' Yusuke rubbed his head in memory. Apparently, all the women he knew were destined to have Knuckles of Doom, and use them on him thoroughly and frequently. 'Then Kuwabara said that him and me were friends, just like you and Hiei–'

'He and I, Yusuke, not him and me.'

'Yeah, yeah, whatever. So anyway, Shizuru squinted for a while, then she started giggling; she nearly swallowed her cigarette. Kuwabara asked her why, and she choked a bit more and said that you and Hiei were……'

A long eyebrow arched delicately. 'Were…?'

'Well, you were, you know, uh, um, er…'

'Involved?' Kurama supplied when it became obvious that Yusuke wasn't intending to complete the sentence.

'Yeahhh,' Yusuke said, obviously relieved. 'Yeah, involved. That…wasn't exactly what she said, but yeah.'

Kurama could imagine. Shizuru had a way with words.

'But see, after she said that, I started looking at the two of you, and damn, it did…'

'Look that way?' Kurama finished.

'Yeah, but. You two are always together; you've known each other for years.' The words spilled out of him in a rush. 'You keep saying you're partners. You always know what he's thinking. He always knows where to find you. You keep translating all his 'Hn's. And Hiei always knows what moves you're gonna use. And he spends the night at your place. You're the only one who can tease him and get away with it. And he actually lets you take care of his wounds, even when the rest of us aren't allowed to. You always sit next to each other; you sleep next to each other when we're on missions. He doesn't even stand next to anyone except you when you're around! And you two have the whole I'll-kill-you-painfully thing going on every so often,' Yusuke added thoughtfully. 'It's kind of kinky, to tell the truth.'

Kurama was shaking with gentle laughter. 'Yusuke, Yusuke, do you really think there's something going on between me and Hiei?'

'Yeah, well, it's not just me,' Yusuke said defensively. 'Shizuru thinks so too. Keiko thought for a while and said she agreed with Shizuru. But Genkai just laughed when I asked her.'

'You asked Genkai whether Hiei and I had a relationship?'

'I'm sorry?' Yusuke ventured cautiously. Kurama just shook his head reprovingly. 'Anyway, she just laughed, hit me on the head and told me I was an idiot.'

'Of course,' Kurama murmured. 'She knows the truth, after all. I'm not surprised she thought you were an idiot.'

'Yeah. Well. Anyway, thanks for clearing that up,' Yusuke mumbled.

'No problem, Yusuke.'

'You're not……mad, are you?' Yusuke asked tentatively.

He was met with a dazzling and sincere smile. 'Of course not, Yusuke,' Kurama said. 'It's not the first time people have suspected us, so I'm used to it by now.'

'Oh. Ah. Er,' Yusuke said again, and he inched away. 'Sorry.'

'It's okay,' Kurama repeated.

'Okay.' Obviously embarrassed, Yusuke left soon after that.

Kurama waited until he was sure the boy was out of earshot before he flung himself onto his bed, buried his face in the pillow and laughed himself sick.

Which was how Hiei found him a few seconds later – teary-eyed, flushed and breathless with giggles.

'Did you – did you –' Kurama began and promptly lost it again.

'I heard,' Hiei said helpfully. 'That girl needs to mind her own business.'

'She must have had fun, though.' Kurama hiccupped discreetly and wiped at his face.

'So did you,' Hiei accused. 'Did you have to do that to him?'

Kurama smiled brilliantly, innocently; beatifically. 'Make him embarrassed? Oh, yes.'

'He's such an idiot,' Hiei huffed, lying down next to him and idly coiling red hair around his fingers. 'If he weren't, he'd have realised you never actually denied anything.'

'Oh, come on, Hiei. It's not like we're not obvious. If he hasn't noticed by this time, he won't anytime soon.'

'Hn.'

A/N: review replies to hink, who reviewed anonymously and raised some interesting points. Regarding chapter 26: yes, Kurama was joking about killing him. And the implication there was of offering Hiei belonging, rather than possessions. Accepting him as part of his youkai life as well as his human life, such as it were, by giving him free rights to a place he didn't allow anyone else to enter. And regarding 16: it's not that they don't forgive (hell, the sheer number of things Kurama and Hiei have done to each other implies that they're very good at forgiving – otherwise they'd have fought to the death even before the Dark Tournament). It is simply that a friendship or a filial relationship can be repaired easily. Because the intensity of a romantic relationship is at a different level, it is more likely to cause a permanent rupture between them. Hence the cautiousness, and well, they aren't exactly possessed of morals, either of them. I doubt any serious falling-out between them would be resolved without some bloodshed. Or maybe that's just me. And killing as Kurama and Hiei speak of it (with regard to each other, at least) isn't terribly sincere in the anime, and I've tried to stick to that. Oh, and Hiei does look rather…suspiciously leery-smirky…when Kurama goes all fox-shaped. Thanks for the reviews!


	28. Musings on an attachment

_**Musings on an attachment**_

_What is it about you that he would give his life for you so many times?_

Shiori, asleep in her bed, never noticed the dark form standing outside her window. Her husband was equally unaware.

_What do you have? What are you? Why does he care so much?_

Still, she slept.

_He'd have killed himself, and you wouldn't even have known. _Hiei huffed. _He's such a damn fool, your son. _

_You must be some woman for him to do that, _he added thoughtfully. _I truly hope you don't let him down. Because if you do, he'll……it'll kill him. He loves you so much. Too much, maybe. _

_I could almost hate you for that. The number of times he's risked his life to keep you safe and keep you happy and insulated from his world. And you don't know. Won't ever know, if he has his way. It's unfair._

_What are you that he should love you so much?_

'He wants me to meet you,' Hiei said aloud. Safe in the knowledge that he was alone; Kurama's ki was far to the west, near the apartment he was moving to. His old bedroom only contained a pile of neatly packed boxes now. 'Some kind of formal introduction. I don't know why.'

He trailed off. As a matter of fact, he _did _know. Nobody knew about them, except for Mukuro and her interfering busybody spy network. (And after their last screaming match about the issue after he'd visited with Kurama, she'd withdrawn her watch as well. Hiei was still checking for them, though.) And he had no doubts that Kurama wouldn't have told anyone. In some ways, the fox was far more secretive than he was.

It stood to reason that if Mukuro knew, then Kurama would want Shiori to know as well. And he would certainly bring up Mukuro's name if Hiei tried to object, so he'd simply given in.

Not that Kurama would allow one bit of information to get to Shiori unless he knew and approved.

Sometimes, Hiei wondered who was the parent in that relationship.

----------------------------------------------------------------

There were three cartons of chocolate-chip ice-cream in the freezer; one half-empty, the others full.

And nobody in her house liked chocolate-chip ice-cream.

Shiori sighed.

So he was back. _Again._

She'd never quite approved of her son's friends. Well, most of them. That Kuwabara was nice, very polite and sweet even if he had an……unsavoury reputation. Urameshi she wasn't so sure of, but Shuuichi seemed to like him very much, and so she didn't object. But Hiei, he troubled her.

Maybe it was just that unlike the others, he seemed to dislike her, seemed almost afraid of her; for heaven's sake, he didn't even use the door to come in like normal people did. He'd been in and out of her son's life since he was twelve, but she'd only seen him a few times. It disturbed her that she knew so little about him.

It wasn't surprising, though. After all, she didn't know her own son too well, either.

Shuuichi wasn't as good at hiding as he thought he was. Shiori was an expert seamstress, she knew how many times he'd repaired his school uniform. Then there were all those 'school holidays'; Meiou didn't even hold any martial arts training camps, but Shuuichi didn't know that she knew that.

And bloodstains didn't wash well from his clothing.

She was fairly certain that Shuuichi's friends, as nice as they seemed, were also involved with whatever her son wasn't telling her about. And so was Hiei.

Hiei. He was an unseen fifth member of her family, and Shuuichi had taken care to keep it that way. She'd respected his space in that. But it was hard to think that a friend he'd had for more than a decade was almost a perfect stranger to her. To think that someone he cared about so much was hidden from her as if she were unworthy of him.

Even if she rarely saw Hiei, reminders of him haunted her. Her son, carrying an unfamiliar black cloak to his room with the rest of his washed laundry – nonchalant, as if he'd done it for years (and he probably had). Ever-multiplying cartons of ice-cream that appeared and vanished, and she'd know that _he_ was here again, and seeing the freezer empty and know that he was gone. Finding the window unlocked even in the dead of winter, the gaps filled with scarves and mufflers while Shuuichi wore long sleeves and high collars to make up for the cold. Meals for two carried up to his room, dishes washed neatly and replaced before she woke in the morning. Most of the time, it was quiet, calm, and she knew that even though _he _was there, neither of them felt any need to talk. Sometimes, those voices were raised in anger. Other times, quiet voices talking and laughing as she tiptoed past his room on the way to her own – a different kind of laughter than the one she shared with him, cold and mocking sometimes, and warm and playful at others.

Shuuichi was never cold around her, though she knew he could be. She'd seen his eyes the day her husband died, while he calmly took care of the funeral, the relatives, the paperwork and the house and allowed her to mourn in the privacy she'd needed. At the time, drowning in grief, she'd barely noticed, but now it was unmistakable. What she'd seen that day, in a child barely ten years old, was icy calculation and a fierce kind of protectiveness. Cold, cold like ice – but she'd never seen that for herself, never seen that ice turn to her, even when she was probably deserving of it. Had never seen him be anything less than the perfect son.

And that perfection was a lie.

Whatever her son was, he obviously didn't trust her with the whole of himself. And she knew, in her most honest moments, that if her suspicions were true, then she might not be capable of giving him all the understanding and love he might need, even if she gave him all she could give.

Better to be like this. Better to give him all the care and affection she could, even if what she received in return was dishonesty, an act that in its very flawlessness mocked the sincerity it was meant to convey. Better to remain silent, because somewhere in that scarred, hardened and beautiful soul she knew there was love for her. He did love her; even if he'd never actually told her that, it screamed through his eyes when he thought she wasn't looking – need and desperation and love all mixed up, so violent, so _complete_, she almost couldn't bear it. Better to trust that he knew what he wanted, and to be what she could for him – be what he wanted her to be – a gentle, trusting loving mother who stood back and let him hide and dodge and lie and love her from afar with a desperate kind of devotion, as if she'd break if he ever confided in her, if he dared to approach her.

If that was all he wanted, that was all she would give – no questions, no investigations. It had taken her a long time to get to that point, but she knew it by now. What he was, he was. Her only choice was whether to accept it (accept him) or not. And she loved him too much to not.

_A small meeting,_ he'd said almost apologetically._ Just the three of us, maybe? I invited Hiei over as well. I'd like you two to know each other better. _

So it had finally happened – whatever they'd been dancing around for so long had been resolved. She had no doubt that her son truly wanted her to understand his friend – she had even less doubt that while any objections she could raise about the two of them would wound Shuuichi deeply, they wouldn't stop him from doing what he wanted. He'd always been the most wilful person she knew.

Their lives were so full of secrets – words unspoken, questions left unasked, ignored and unanswered. Those secrets formed a physical barrier between them, one she knew it was not her place to break down. That was for Shuuichi to do, if he ever decided to. But Hiei – he was a key to understanding that mysterious other side of her son, and if this acceptance was what that understanding required, then so be it.

And so she found herself agreeing, with something strangely like hope in her forlorn heart.

A/N: So this is my interpretation of Shiori. Shiori, who is neither a beacon of light in her lonely son's life or a fount of wisdom on tolerance, acceptance and the cuteness of Hiei and Kurama together, but simply a person, with warts, insecurities, real emotions and fears. I don't see her as the perfect mother, because Kurama won't let her be – and I don't see him as the perfect son, because he lies too much, to be brutally honest. As much as theirs appears to be the perfect relationship, it's anything but.


	29. In conversation with mothers

_**In conversation with mothers**_

Hiei fidgeted. Twitched. Looked nervous. On a subcutaneous level, of course, because this was Hiei, stoic and unrevealing, and something this silly would never faze him. Beside him, Kurama was looking equally nervous; his aura was snapping and crackling erratically, red and silver and green, worried about both their reactions, increasing Hiei's irritation.

It wasn't that this ridiculous meet-the-parents (parent) thing Kurama had arranged made him nervous; hell, Kurama hadn't even told her they were involved, it was just a "friend thing". It wasn't like Kurama's mother had any say in what he did, even Kurama knew that. This was just an extension of his addle-pated notions of family – although when he'd gone from just persuading Hiei to tell Yukina the truth to insisting that he meet Shiori even Hiei didn't know.

What he _was_ feeling odd about was actually talking to the woman. He'd spent the last fifteen years or so dodging her with all the considerable skill he could summon. She made him uneasy for some reason he couldn't quite name. Maybe it was only Kurama's attachment to something – someone – so ephemeral that disturbed him. He wasn't sure.

Ironically, the only one who didn't look remotely fazed by the situation was Shiori herself. She bustled around the kitchen, carrying on a light-hearted conversation with her son while Hiei contributed to the beleaguered silence. Kurama looked increasingly annoyed by his stubbornness, and Shiori, oddly, seemed sympathetic to Hiei. Dinner passed in a stilted sort of way, with emerald eyes glaring a hole in Hiei every time her back was turned. Hiei withdrew even further. Finally, it was Shiori who reacted, with a polite request to Kurama to please take care of the dishes while she and Hiei talked in the living room.

Hiei stiffened, though not as much as Kurama, who looked torn between wanting to rescue Hiei and wanting to rescue Shiori. 'Mother, I'm not sure……'

'We'll be fine, dear.'

_You'd better be nice, _Kurama's frown said to Hiei before he gave in gracefully, as he always did where his mother was concerned. She shut the door behind them.

Hiei trailed behind Shiori and perched reluctantly on the edge of the sofa, longingly eyeing the exit.

'Are you involved with my son?' were her first words.

Hiei promptly froze, his mouth doing a fine imitation of a dying fish, and was suddenly very very glad that Kurama wasn't here. He would have been teased for weeks. Once Kurama got over his shock, that is.

Shiori turned back to him, a sharp, intent gaze that was nothing like her son's but which somehow echoed it. 'I've suspected for a while that……is it you?'

Hiei was silent for a moment. 'We are……what we are. I can't tell you more than that.' Alienating this woman would be dangerous, but he was damned if he was going to lie about anything either. He reserved his deceptions for those he cared about.

'I see,' she said neutrally.

'You don't seem surprised.'

'You're the only one I've ever even seen around him, except for those nice boys from across town. And I've only seen them a few times. But you, you've been here for years.'

Hiei nodded.

'How long?'

'A few months now,' he replied tersely. 'Not long like this.' Stick to short sentences and he might get through this without giving away too much or subjecting himself to one of Kurama's more exotic poisons.

'Oh.' Shiori looked thoughtful. 'You must be important to him.'

Unsure what to say to that, Hiei remained silent.

'He's a secretive boy, my son,' she said. 'Most of the time I feel I don't know him at all, only what he wants to show me. He's always been that way, even when he was a small child. He never brought any problems to me, never needed my help or my advice. If anything, it was the other way around. The perfect student, the perfect son. It was almost as if he was above everything that children did, above it and beyond it.'

'He's an old soul,' Hiei hedged.

'That he is. Even when his father died……so calm, so wise, so mature. He arranged everything, took care of everything. I felt – feel – very safe around him. It was almost as if he was protecting me the whole time.' She laughed. 'You should have seen him when my husband proposed to me. So possessive, almost as if he were the parent.'

Hiei could imagine. Shiori had tried to date men Kurama had judged unsuitable before…… the fox had no right to make Hiei restrain himself around Kuwabara. None at all at all.

'He's a very strong boy, my son,' she said softly. 'Strong enough to keep his secrets and never say a word.'

Hiei reflected that she couldn't possibly know how true that was. 'Yes,' he agreed. 'He is.'

Suddenly, those dark eyes were shrewd. 'But you know his secrets, don't you?'

'Yes. But they aren't mine to tell.'

'I didn't expect you to. He'd never forgive it.'

Maybe she knew him better than he thought. 'I know.'

With a suddenness he couldn't quite grasp, he wanted to tell her everything. About Kurama's former life, about the mirror, his entry into the Dark Tournament, his alliance with Yomi. How he still spent a couple of nights a week patrolling every place Shiori might possibly go, marking and maintaining his territory.

All of it.

Equally suddenly, he realised why Kurama tried so hard to make him tell Yukina everything – and it had nothing to do with Yukina and everything to do with Hiei himself.

'He's done so much for you,' he spoke quickly, harshly. 'So much. You've no idea what he's done, what he's been through, to keep you safe and happy. He cares for you. Loves you so much I……' he trailed off. He couldn't reveal any of the secrets Kurama held so closely.

Shiori's eyes were sad. 'I know. He has the look of someone who's suffered. And he never told me a thing, not even when it was at its worst.'

'He never does.'

'But you know him. You've been friends for so long.'

'He's trying,' Hiei said, valiantly quelling the notion that he was no longer speaking entirely about Kurama. 'Trying so hard. But he's afraid, even if he doesn't know why. He knows he probably wouldn't be rejected. But he doesn't know that for sure. There's so much……too much in his past. He's so afraid it hurts.'

'……Hiei?'

Hiei jerked back from her hand, which was reaching for his own. Shiori withdrew it immediately. 'Are you all right?'

'I'm fine.'

'For what it's worth,' her voice dropped, 'I know you've been there through it all. And I thank you for it.'

'I haven't been there. Not always. Sometimes, not when he needed me.' And since when was he _volunteering _information of this kind?

'Mother?' Kurama was in the doorway, dishtowel in hand, apparently industrious. 'What are you two talking about?'

Shiori smiled. 'Oh, nothing, dear.'

Those green eyes were unreadable. Hiei winced.

'Really, it's all right,' she stressed, and Hiei was momentarily grateful, because the hard edge in Kurama's eyes had softened just a little at her reassurance.

'I've finished the dishes,' he announced.

Hiei wondered how long he'd been listening.

Shiori thanked him cordially and the lopsided conversation continued; Hiei was almost completely silent, Shiori was unaffected and Kurama playing his part to perfection. He was flawless in his performance, but in the light of what his mother had said Hiei could see that that was what it was – a performance. The tragedy was in its sincerity, in how obvious it was that Kurama himself was unaware that he was being less than honest.

He'd accused Kurama once of not letting people he cared for anywhere near him. Of being afraid that they would discover who he was, of being content to reflect what they showed him and let them think that was the truth.

And he was so very afraid. There was a subtle unreality to his actions, almost too perfect, too correct and appropriate, and it was obvious Shiori knew it even if Kurama didn't.

He'd probably researched the role of the perfect son, just as he'd researched human customs. Playing it perfectly, unaware that it was worse for her than if he'd just been……what? Himself? Cold, manipulative, playful, loyal, single-minded, masochistic, sadistic politician, gentle healer, ruthless killer and loving friend? Could Shiori grasp the entirety of Kurama?

Unlikely, he knew. Unlikely that someone so different from Kurama, who could never know or experience a fraction of what he did, would be able to offer him more than acceptance, much less give him the understanding he craved. Most likely, Kurama in his true personality would only frighten her or disturb her, and both of them danced around the truth that lay between them because they knew subconsciously that neither was prepared for it to be brought into the light and examined; or perhaps they knew that their bond might not survive it, no matter how deep it ran between them and how much they were willing to give up for it.

Such a fragile relationship, despite all the love in it.

It fit.

Humans were such fragile beings.

He passed the rest of the evening in deep thought, and the other two let him. Kurama made excuses and they left as soon as was humanly possible, heading for the apartment the fox was currently occupying. It was expensive for a student, but Kurama had felt that he deserved to spend some of his vast fortune on having a decent place to live, and that was that, and rumours about alternate sources of income were unimportant.

They'd only be true, after all, he'd said with a chuckle, and quietly 'persuaded' his family not to enquire too deeply.

For almost a kilometre there was absolute silence. Then Hiei spoke. 'I'll tell Yukina.'

Kurama's head whipped around so fast his hair slapped against his cheek. 'Hiei?'

'Maybe not immediately. In a while. A little while. But……I saw the two of you. So many secrets. I don't want her to be like this. I don't want to be like this with her.'

'Are you telling me I should tell my mother who I am, Hiei?'

How strange that Kurama should be the icy one. 'If you want to take it that way, go ahead. I wasn't referring to you, but if the shoe fits……'

Kurama shook with silent laughter. 'No, you aren't the type to be subtle about your opinions, are you? And Hiei. Thank you.'

'I couldn't have escaped it forever.'

'No, for what you said about me.'

'It was only the truth.'

'Still,' Kurama insisted. 'Still.'

'I thought you'd be angry with me for telling her all that.'

Kurama shrugged.

'I was, at first. But maybe she needs to hear it.'

'If you're using her life-span as an excuse to keep this under wraps, it's just cowardice.'

'But I am a coward,' Kurama said cheerfully. 'I'd much rather take the easy way out of any situation, take the route that keeps me safe. It's the only reason I've lived so long.'

'It's not much of a life, fox.'

Kurama stiffened. 'I know. Why else would I pursue you?'

Hiei acknowledged that with a nod.

'So……' Kurama began, green eyes glinting evilly.

Hiei groaned mentally. There was definitely going to be teasing. It was the easiest way for Kurama to deflect and wriggle his way out of any kind of situation he was uncomfortable with, and Hiei was unfortunately susceptible to it.

'Hiiieiii……'

'What?'

'When are you going to tell Yukina?'

'In a little while.'

'So, next week?'

'Why?'

'Because I want a clear schedule.'

'Why?' Hiei said, sounding entirely too plaintive for his own taste.

'Because I have to get my camera.'

'A camera?'

'Well, I'd imagine that Yukina would want to hug you, at least. That would make a nice picture.' Long fingers folded thoughtfully under that pretty pointed chin. 'Hiei in a hug. Hugging Hiei. Hiei hugged. Hmmm. Yes, "Hiei hugged" would be a nice caption. And Kuwabara has to be distracted. If he's going to find out that you're going to be his brother-in-law, he might need a stiff drink afterwards. I think Yusuke could take care of that. Or Shizuru, maybe. Yusuke wouldn't want to miss the fun. And if they all turn up, so will Keiko. And Genkai would be there, of course.'

'I'll kill you,' Hiei said in deadly tones, 'if you even think of mentioning the toddler or the reaper.'

'Oh, no. No, I wouldn't do that. Besides,' and he was definitely laughing now, even if his face was sober and restrained, 'they can always catch the video later.'

There really was only one response to that, and it was late enough at night that nobody in the sleepy little suburb Kurama lived in would notice. Hiei drew his katana and lunged, and Kurama dodged, laughing madly. The mock fight lasted a few minutes before it turned serious, and then it went on for nearly an hour, flickering over and around houses and finally ending at Kurama's doorstep, both panting with effort and adrenalin.

'It's not true, you know,' Kurama said abruptly, hands shoved in his pockets, eyes fixed on a point somewhere above Hiei's head, the whip tucked back into his hair. His face was still flushed with effort and warmth as he leaned discreetly against the wall.

'What's not true?'

'You've always been a friend. You were always the honest one. I was the one who……if there has been any distance between us, it's been my fault.'

'The past is the past,' Hiei replied, because that was truth and evasion at once.

'Thank you, Hiei,' Kurama said, and he nodded. 'I mean it,' he repeated. 'Thank you. For the dinner, and the conversation, for being there, for being you.'

Hiei resisted the urge to fidget. Damn it, he was older than that! 'You can always repay me with ice-cream,' he suggested deadpan.

'Chocolate-chip ice-cream with nuts on top?'

'You have more?'

'A whole box.'

'Right. You're forgiven all.'


	30. The repairing of relationships

_**The repairing of relationships**_

A/N: and so I finally get around to writing what should be the first story in this series (not that I knew it would be one when I started out). Hmm. Typical me. I'd end this story here, but let me know if you want the other side of the conversation. 30 chapters, go me!

'How was your day?'

'Average,' Hiei grunted.

She had that considering look on her face again. Hiei hated considering looks.

'If you want to go back to the human world,' Mukuro said carefully, 'I don't mind.'

Hiei sat down, crossed his ankles on the table and smirked. 'Why would I want to do that?'

She regarded him evenly. 'Hypocrite,' she announced finally.

'Busybody.'

'Stubborn wretch.'

'Interfering old hag,' he retorted amicably.

'Idiot.'

There was a reason he hated Mukuro, Hiei knew; like Kurama and Yusuke, she had a trick of making him reveal himself, do the unexpected, say more and be more than he had ever imagined he could. '…I've no reason to go back there. It's annoying anyway.'

'The world isn't interesting, no,' Mukuro agreed. She hadn't been herself in a couple of centuries, but if the Makai was anything to go by, nothing essential had changed.

Hiei glared at her. So he'd picked up on it.

'What exactly happened between you and your kitsune friend before he left?'

The glare went up a few notches.

'Oh. I see. He left, and you're pissed. Does that sum it up?'

'I'd decided to stay here even before the tournament.'

'He'd decided to leave earlier than that, though, hadn't he?'

Mukuro restrained a grin at the brief twitch from her heir. Her spy system wasn't as accomplished as Yomi's – Kurama had certainly revolutionised _that _department in the three years he'd been with them – but she knew the details. 'You two had a fight?'

'You make it sound like we were involved.'

'You mean you weren't?' she asked, genuinely puzzled. She'd thought they were casual lovers at least.

The glare was now really as powerful as his dragon.

'No,' Hiei said finally.

'Well, if you want to go back you're free to. Our agreement still stands, but in peacetime your border duties should be enough. And you can take care of that from the other side.'

'I told you, I don't want to go back there. Are you deaf?'

'In one ear, almost completely,' she admitted casually. Another relic of her early days. 'So why not?'

'I thought I told you.'

'Your sister's there too.'

'She can take care of herself.'

'This from the overprotective brother?'

'In case you forget, she took care of herself for quite a few decades before I even met her in the human world. She had to be capable, or she wouldn't have survived searching through the Makai for…me.'

Hiei still choked on the admission, she was amused to note. Even when there was no one there who didn't know. It was almost as if he still couldn't believe that anyone would actually go searching for him.

Hiei. So oblivious, so deep in denial; there were so many who would do so much for him, and he retreated into his shell and never even noticed them. She sighed. 'All right, then.'

And there matters stood for another six months.

Hiei seemed oddly…content…with his life. Content was not a word she would have applied to the unhappy and fiercely defensive man she'd first met three years ago, but it seemed appropriate now; a calm, empty sort of contentment. She recognised it for what it was, for the beginning of a long and painful healing process, of finally finding a place and a purpose beyond living to see the next dawn, the slow adaptation to the end of that brutal, clawing existence – in his mind, he was finally letting go of his past. That was something that was personal, and best attempted in relative solitude.

She had been there herself, and she knew the symptoms and the cure.

It would take time before Hiei would be ready to introduce even the slightest complexity into his life; and so she didn't question him further about his little extended family. She'd heard from other sources that Yusuke had gone back, but although Hiei had to know, he didn't react to that either, pursuing his duties single-mindedly.

It was nearly nine months after the Makai tournament when Kurama came back.

Hiei was away working, and it was Mukuro who received him. Kurama was polite and distant and very obviously not here to meet her; she gave him a guest room, sent a vaguely worded message to Hiei to return and muttered at the stubbornness of idiot men as she continued her paperwork.

She invited Kurama to dinner, knowing that Hiei would come in at that time. They were halfway through the meal when they both felt Hiei's energy approach her fortress. It was drained and weak; he must have been using his flame techniques.

Kurama wiped his hands, food half-eaten, set down his napkin and stood up just as Hiei barged in with all his customary tact and diplomacy. 'Mukuro, whatever's trying to go through that h–'

He stopped in mid-sentence, froze, finally noticing the other redhead, emotions chasing each other across his face, unreserved – shock, hope, curiosity, anger, fear, warmth, need. She wondered who he had been fighting to be tired enough not to scan for others in the room.

Or was he so used to the kitsune's presence that he didn't consider him 'someone else' anymore?

'Hiei,' Kurama said quietly, and his hands flexed uneasily at his sides. Just one word – there was no reason for her to suddenly feel like an intruder, but she did.

For a second longer that raw, open look remained on Hiei's face, and then his shields slammed shut physically and emotionally with what was almost an audible noise. 'Kurama. What are you doing here?'

Oddly enough, the redhead flinched when he heard his name. 'I'm on vacation,' Kurama replied slowly, warily. 'I was tying up some loose ends with Yomi's people, taking care of the paperwork and all, and I thought I'd…' he trailed off. 'How are you?'

'Fine,' Hiei said curtly.

At that, Mukuro stood up. She didn't know what was going to happen, but either way, she didn't want to get involved in it. 'Good night,' she said simply and left.

They ignored her farewell, still staring at each other.

She didn't really mind.

But one thing she knew for certain.

If there were bloodstains on her carpet, she was taking it out of Hiei's pay.

----------------------------------------------------

As it turned out, there were no bloodstains, and no fights either as far as anyone knew (and most of the servants had been trying to listen in, since insights into Hiei were rare and few). In the morning, Kurama stayed just long enough to wish her well; Hiei had already left when she emerged from her rooms. The redhead looked less tense, and his smile was a trace more genuine as he took his leave.

When Hiei returned that night, she accosted him before he made it to the safety of his room.

'Hello, Hiei.'

'Mukuro.'

'Had a nice night?' she asked, and was immediately rewarded by a slow spreading wave of dull red across his pale features.

'What's _that_ supposed to mean?' he spluttered.

'I enjoy catching up with my friends too,' she said casually. The few she had, she did.

'He's not my friend.'

'And with you not even on the battlefield. Amazing,' she muttered, knowing he'd hear.

He glared and stalked off. 'Hn.'

And because she simply couldn't resist, she asked him. 'So, Hiei, are you still determined not to go back to the human world?'

To her surprise, he turned and smirked widely at her – and perhaps he didn't know that it was less smirk and more smile than he was intending it to be. 'Maybe not.'

He vanished into the shadows at the other end of the hall, and Mukuro grinned.

So. Maybe not so oblivious after all.


	31. On the winning side

_**On the winning side**_

A/N: This ties for top place in my list of YYH Conversations I Would Pay Good Money To See In Canon, along with what Hiei and Kurama said before leaving to fight Suzaku and company. Oh, and I'm not stopping this…my author's note was rather misinterpret-able. Enjoy the evil kitsune.

Koenma was used to surprises and shocks.

When his father's vault had been raided, he had been shocked. It had been a surprise that Yusuke had actually managed to retrieve them. It had been a shock when one of the thieves had surrendered tamely; even more shocking that he had turned out to be Kurama.

Kurama, the youko who had Had Fun with Reikai stocks and bonds, spammed, jinxed and hexed their cyber-archives until they'd retreated to paper in desperation, rigged the sprinklers to go off whenever Enma made his inspection rounds, regularly made off with anything pretty and shiny that took his fancy and generally been an all-round pain in the ass for the last millennium or so. The very youko whom Koenma had been congratulating himself on finally being rid the hell of. He could still remember the profound relief and considerable glee with which he'd received notice of the death papers being served. Although he couldn't remember signing them…hmmm……

It was less of a surprise when said youko had made his way out of his maximum-security cell, waltzed through the whole office unaccosted and made his way to Koenma's room without anyone even noticing – injured though he was, Youko Kurama had a reputation for more than killer looks. When he'd elegantly perched on Koenma's desk, crossed his legs and gazed dispassionately at the toddler he towered over, Koenma's surprise had already descended into numbness.

But his proposition – now that…

'Parole?!' Koenma nearly yelped. 'Hiei?!'

'Why, yes,' Kurama said blithely. 'He should be a valuable asset to your detective team.'

'I can't do it. I won't do it. He tried to take over the human world, for Dad's sake!'

With a valiant effort, Kurama kept his expression under control. 'But he didn't actually do anything,' he pointed out. 'No permanent harm was done to any humans. The only thing he actually did was stick his sword through me, and we all know that that was entirely my choice.'

'He's far too untrustworthy.'

'On the contrary,' Kurama corrected. 'He's utterly reliable once he's committed to something. You'd know if you knew him even a little. If Hiei agrees to the terms of your parole he will fulfill them. Besides, you need this more than he does.'

Koenma frowned. 'I do?'

'Right now, Yusuke's your only detective. And we all know the boy's incapable of dealing with more serious threats than Hiei and I posed. Your only other surviving detective is happily raising children somewhere in Japan – and she's told you not to bother her, I take it.'

'How did you–'

Kurama smiled in a way that said clearly that he wasn't going to answer.

'Yusuke's good,' he said, folding his hands under his chin contemplatively. 'With time and training, he might become very good. But he doesn't have either, what with you piling your cases onto him; at this rate he'll be dead in a few weeks at the most. No, you need serious firepower right now while you're training your next batch of puppet executioners, and you have to admit that Hiei and I fall under that category.'

Reluctantly, Koenma nodded.

'And since we're criminals, you shouldn't have to have the same legal difficulties with assigning us…less justified…targets as you would with Yusuke.'

Koenma's eyes widened. 'You're offering to be an assassin for the Reikai?'

'Let's not be too specific,' Kurama said dismissively, waving an elegant hand. 'The crimes will be listed in our names, thus absolving you of responsibility, but they will not affect the length of the sentence, since you'll be monitoring it closely. As will I,' he added mildly, with a quick, sharp look at Koenma. 'Mutually beneficial, as I see it. This, in addition to helping out your detective on his cases, should keep your influence in the human world intact. Of course, this entire scenario is dependent on your granting Hiei parole on these terms.'

'And you? You're a criminal as well. I could lock you away for eternity with the crimes you've committed.'

Kurama grinned. 'No, as a matter of fact, you can't. I'm a human, Koenma. In form at least, I am human, and thus not subject to Reikai laws except in the event of my death. And I'm _not_ human enough to be doing that any time soon. There are no precedents for anyone like me, and Reikai laws do not allow for the imprisonment of live humans. You're going to have to let me out sooner or later. And I aim to work off the parole before I die in any case.'

Koenma's tiny shoulders slumped. 'I was hoping you wouldn't figure that out,' he mumbled.

'Ah, well. Hope springs eternal.' Kurama's eyes were distant.

'Still, he did attack humans,' Koenma protested. 'And he nearly killed Yusuke.'

'But he didn't kill him,' Kurama pointed out. 'I stopped him.'

Koenma's eyes narrowed. 'Is that why you stepped in front of that sword of his?'

'I had more than one debt to pay off,' Kurama shrugged. 'This seemed the best option at the time. If Hiei had killed a human, he'd have been executed on the spot. I can't permit that.'

Koenma studied the teenager before him. Kurama watched him back, tranquil and collected, and faintly mocking beneath the veneer of civility.

'And what if I don't?' he asked. 'After all, almost nobody knows why you two are here. I could imprison you both with no effort.'

'That's not really a problem.' Kurama's eyes were empty and hard, suddenly. 'If you refuse, I'll go right out of here and break Hiei out. Then I'll personally see to it that everything the Reikai has on both of us is erased, along with anything else that catches my fancy, and that we are both in a place where you, your father, and anyone you might control will never be able to trace us. I will then devote my considerable time, skills, money and resources towards making your life a living hell in every way I can imagine, with a dedication that will make my former dalliances pale in comparison in terms of frequency and severity.'

Koenma gulped.

'……or,' and here he smiled dazzlingly, in direct and deliberate contrast to the diamond-hard, narrowed eyes that watched him like, well, a fox, 'you could simply accept my offer and save us all some trouble.'

Koenma repressed the urge to shiver. He had no doubt that Kurama meant every word. At that moment, even here in the middle of his domain, severely injured, nearly out of energy and technically imprisoned, the kitsune was frightening. 'All right,' he said. 'I'll do it. But you're personally responsible for his behaviour. Any sentence passed on him from now on is extended to you as well.'

'Done,' Kurama said promptly.

'This includes the death penalty,' Koenma warned him.

'Oh, I'm fairly certain Hiei can restrain himself on occasion,' Kurama smirked. 'Even if he's not terribly good at it.'

'Very well,' Koenma said. 'Subject to his agreement, you are now both appointed as unofficial Spirit Detectives.'

'Glad to hear it,' Kurama said with a broad smile that was screamingly insincere. 'I do, of course, expect you to stick to the agreement. Full removal of both our records in exchange for our abilities being at your disposal. Oh, and there's one more thing. There's a youkai in the human world. An ice apparition named Yukina. Any leads you could give me on her whereabouts would be valuable, and you can extract the time and expenses from my parole. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go try to convince him.' He stood and walked slowly to the door, wincing with each step as his injury complained.

'Kurama.'

He paused, turned. 'Yes?'

'Why?'

To his credit, the redhead didn't try to misunderstand the question. 'There are three things you should know about me, Koenma. The first is that I never forget a debt. The second is that I dislike losing control of a situation. The third is that I never lose.' He inclined his head and left the office.

Koenma slumped over in his chair, his head hitting his desk with a loud clunk.

Somehow, he didn't think his relationship with his newest recruit was going to be very easy.


	32. The way we were

_**The way we were**_

A/N: it's kind of necessary to know Two Shots for this. If you don't, good scanlations are available at – a lovely YYH site with doujins galore. You get to see Preteen!Kurama, who's almost the same size as Hiei. He's adorably evil. Then again, when isn't he?

'Fox.'

'Hiei.' Green eyes sparkled. 'You're early. I thought you were in the Makai this month.'

'Hn.' Hiei lounged against the door as Kurama locked it and slipped the key into his pocket. 'By the way, that jade dancer in your room looks terribly familiar.'

Kurama smiled, bright and patently insincere. 'Really? I don't think you've ever seen it before.'

Hiei glowered; he was about to retort that no, he wasn't a bloody idiot and Mukuro _liked _that thing and she'd docked his pay as recompense and was Kurama going to repay him or would he have to shave all his pretty red hair off when he was asleep? when there was a blur and shift of energies, and the redheaded human no longer stood before him.

'I haven't seen you like this very often,' Hiei said contemplatively. 'Certainly not in this world.'

The silver fox, which stood nearly to Hiei's (admittedly short) waist, shrugged, tongue lolling out in a sort of grin.

'Is there any particular reason?'

Kurama stood, shook himself briskly to dislodge the few flakes of snow that had caught in his pale fur, shot him a speaking glance over his shoulder and trotted off into the woods that were conveniently close to his home, blending in with the silver and shadows of moonlight on snow until he nearly disappeared into it.

Which was probably a good thing, Hiei thought. Seeing a youko sauntering past them would probably give people several heart attacks.

Kurama evidently had some destination in mind, because he was moving in a straight line, unfazed by the thick branches and thorny bushes that had sprung up in the area – Hiei wondered idly if he had been responsible for them in the first place as he followed, curious.

When he stopped, Hiei was in a small clearing. It was unused, judging by the clear smoothness of the ground, featureless white except for the pawprints. Pawprints heading clear across the clearing, and halfway through they turned to footprints. Bootprints.

He let his senses free, and looked up behind him.

Kurama, in full youkai form, lounged on the branch of a tree, ghostlike. 'Hiei.'

'I thought I was the one who liked trees,' he observed.

'But I'm the one who manipulates them.'

'Why are you in this form?'

'I don't know. I've been feeling more…demonic…lately.' There was a strange, almost pensive look in his golden eyes. 'By the way, do you recognise where we are?'

'Trees. Clearing. Am I–' Hiei stopped. 'Ah.'

'Exactly.' Kurama nodded. 'And I must say, I'm pleased you're not trying to run me through this time.'

'No more pleased than I am that you don't have your little girlfriend with you,' Hiei retorted, and had the pleasure of watching Kurama start before he chuckled.

'She wasn't my girlfriend.'

'You told me that.' Hiei flickered onto the branch. With Kurama's greater height in this form, they were almost the same height with him standing.

'I never went after humans. Wouldn't have even if……' Kurama trailed off, making a vague gesture that Hiei understood. 'Too much chance of Reikai noticing if there had been any, ah, unfortunate consequences.'

Hiei snorted. 'If they missed you, they'd miss any children. Look how Yusuke escaped notice.'

'But he was quite a few generations late.'

'Which still doesn't explain why you didn't "go after" humans after Reikai found you.'

'Again, they have specific laws against interbreeding. Besides, it was…rather too boring to pursue, by that time.' Golden eyes eyed him sideways as he looked out at the snow. 'I had other interests, after all.'

Hiei's mouth twitched suspiciously like a smile. 'Hn.'

'And besides,' Kurama added thoughtfully, 'the Reikai didn't miss my soul.'

Hiei stared at him, curious. Kurama never discussed his death.

Kurama's expression darkened. 'It was a matter of timing. I was registered as a death, but I escaped before I was sentenced; not hard to do considering how many papers Koenma has to stamp in a day. And it's hard bribing the border guards without money or powers. I was forced to lose a huge portion of my power to be able to come through without help.'

'You actually died?'

'Oh, yes. Had the whole tunnel-of-light experience. The whole caboodle. I had to do it. The Reikai had tabs on my files – if I'd died and my name hadn't registered as a death they'd have found me for sure, long before I had the power to run.' Kurama grinned. 'I'm told they had quite a celebration when my papers were posted. I should have liked to see that.'

'It's ironic,' Hiei smirked. 'All three of us have died; you, me, Yusuke.'

'We do seem to have a bad habit of it. You forgot Genkai.'

'She's human.'

'So am I, Hiei.'

'Not where it counts,' Hiei retorted. 'You might pretend to be human, but you're as ruthless and unscrupulous with red hair as you are with white. And I find that statement profoundly ironic considering the form you're in right now.'

Kurama smiled, a little sadly. 'But I'll never be who I was before.'

'Nobody can,' Hiei said simply. 'Things change. People change. You just have to move forward.'

Kurama's eyes softened, and he reached out to brush two fingers across Hiei's cheek. 'That's very like you.'

Not knowing what to say to that, Hiei changed the topic. 'Why did you bring me here tonight?'

'Why _are _you here? I thought you were supposed to be with Mukuro for another month at least.'

'Mukuro and I……have worked out a different arrangement.'

'Oh?'

'Alliance with Mukuro was a strategic move; she originally wanted me on her side because of my connection to Yusuke, but that's not important now. Unless she's in trouble, I'm free to go where I want.'

Kurama nodded. Such alliances were common in the Makai, and were much more flexible than their human equivalents because of the far longer time periods involved. 'So you're not her heir anymore?'

'I am. But right now, I'm on……sabbatical, you could say. A free agent for a while.'

'Should I be flattered?'

'Yukina won't come home until that big lug's lived out his time.'

'I see,' Kurama said, wisely not mentioning the three years Hiei had upped and left her to said big lug's protection. 'So you'll be here, then. For the next few years, at least.'

'The border,' Hiei corrected. 'I'm still on duty there. I'm not sure I could live here without either killing someone or dying of sheer boredom.'

'It isn't terribly interesting here, is it,' Kurama agreed. 'Are you going to try to take over the world again?'

'_This_ one? What's the point?'

'That's true.' Kurama yawned and stretched, bare arms nearly as pale as everything around them, a startling contrast to his customary tanned skin. The gauzy white dress only accented the lack of colour his youkai form had as opposed to his human aspect's impossibly bright hair and eyes. Accented the black of Hiei himself; the perfect opposite to Youko's clothing was his own solid, opaque black cloak, shirt and pants.

Idly, Hiei thought again that it was not surprising that Kurama had such a fondness for white. Purity, coldness, innocence, arrogance, truth, distance, aloofness, integrity…… yes, it summed up his character well.

'Why did you bring me here?'

'……I don't know……it all seems very long ago. I think I just wanted to revisit it.' Kurama laughed. 'Some first meeting it was. You tried to kill me, I tried to kill you, I healed you, we argued, we fought together, and then you passed out on my windowsill after offering me a partnership in controlling the region.'

'And look how little we've changed since,' Hiei snorted. 'We fight each other, we fight together, we're still partners.'

There was a half-smile on those pale lips. 'I suppose we haven't, have we?'

There was a short silence. Kurama's leg swung idly back and forth as it dangled off the limb.

'It was the first time I'd even said my name out loud in years.'

Hiei shot Kurama an intrigued look. 'What name were you giving out to the youkai you were keeping out of your territory?'

'Some already knew. I stopped giving it out very early, once I realised I would have to stay behind, once I began to care for her. I couldn't afford the power struggles that would occur if they found out who I was.'

'Always so protective.'

'Always.' Kurama's face was serious. 'It felt strange, saying that name again. Taking that name again, accepting it as mine. I didn't think……after I decided to give up my other half and stay here, I never even thought that name. It was too painful. But when you asked. I wanted to be Kurama again. For the first time in so long. Did you know that my first word was my name? My real name? I wanted it to be. I waited until I was alone and I said it to myself. Even then, when I didn't have all my memories or any of my powers, I knew that much. And when I decided that I wasn't going to return, I put it away and never said it aloud again. Until you.'

'That's why you never objected when I called you fox,' Hiei realised.

'It's what I am.'

'Which was easier for me to accept than a pretty boy with perfect grades. Somehow, the idea that the great Youko Kurama was reduced to that irked me. Irks me,' Hiei amended.

'You thought I was pretty?' Kurama said, tilting his head lazily and giving him a sharp look.

'Don't push it.'

'No, no, I'm absolutely fascinated. Do tell. You thought I was pretty? Or do you still think I'm pretty? Because I'd say I've got better over the years. I mean, the hair has to be an improvement. I did always hate short hair.'

Hiei glowered.

'But really, Hiei. Just pretty? Not…stunning? Gorgeous? Breathtaking? Beautiful?'

Hiei glared. 'Apply any adjective you please. I'm not helping your vanity get even worse than it is.'

'Apply any adjective, hmm,' Kurama mused. 'Shall I take that to mean that all of them are true?'

'Vanity, fox.'

'Of course.'

'For what it's worth……I'm glad I didn't kill you.'

'Oh, please. You were already half dead.'

'I nearly took your head off with the first strike.'

'And passed out a minute or so later, by the way.'

They laughed together. At least, Kurama laughed. Hiei's mouth quirked, which was his version of it.

'We really are opposites, you know,' Kurama murmured. 'Moonlight and shadow, illusion and honesty. I couldn't have found someone more unlike me if I'd tried.'

'But we are alike,' Hiei said.

'That, too. Odd, isn't it?'

'Makes for an interesting time, though.'

'Yes, it does.' Kurama swung off the branch, landing neatly on his slipper-clad feet. Hiei blinked into form beside him.

'Hey, fox. What do you think would have happened if we'd never met?'

'Most likely? You'd have charged off to fight Yatsude while you were still injured and got your head handed to you. I'd have stolen the Forlorn Hope alone, they'd never have found my name in time because I'd never have hired Gouki (which I still think was a bad move on your part, by the way), Yusuke wouldn't have got to me, and I'd be dead.'

'We've pulled off a lot in our time, haven't we,' Hiei mused. 'And in a way, we've saved each other's lives often. Even when we weren't intending to. To be honest, I almost miss those days. They were…entertaining.'

'You're talking as if my law-abiding days are here to stay,' Kurama accused as they began to walk back to his house.

'They're not?'

'Not a bit,' he admitted shamelessly.

'So, in effect, you're living out one life pretending to be stunningly, boringly virtuous, when all you're doing is making plans not to be?'

'Obviously,' Kurama snorted. 'I can't imagine being this nice for much longer than this. It's enough of a strain as it is. Besides, do you see me settling down into a normal human life – or a quiet youkai life, for that matter? Being a kindly businessman? A devoted family man? Do you honestly think I could live with a wife and a litter of brats in a quiet country manor?'

'If you did, I'd run you through for real,' Hiei said matter-of-factly. 'I warned you about that before.'

'Oh, yes, so you did. It's quite flattering to have you being jealous.'

'Territorial,' Hiei corrected. 'There's a difference. One is immature. The other is rational.'

'So you will be there with me?' Kurama asked, shooting a sidelong glance at Hiei. From this greater height it was impossible to make out what his expression was. 'I do need a partner, after all.'

'You'll get yourself killed charging around alone,' Hiei snorted, shooting a quick glance at him.

Kurama smiled.


	33. The concerns of siblings

_**The concerns of siblings**_

'So is he ever going to tell her?' Shizuru asked Kurama around her ever-present cigarette.

The redhead leaned back against the seat at the station, watching yet another packed train speed by. 'He says he's working up to it.'

'For how many decades again?'

Kurama laughed. 'He actually seems serious this time.'

'Maybe one of us should sound the waters before that.'

'Are you suggesting we ask her? Hiei made me swear not to tell. If I even hinted – or did anything that Hiei considered hinting – he'd run me through even faster than the last time.'

'I doubt that,' Shizuru said. 'I think he's just waiting for circumstances to take matters out of his hands. I know Yukina at least suspects something. And I don't think he'll be too eager to do you any damage.'

Kurama shot her a sharp look. 'Your meaning?'

'You may have run Yusuke off, but I happen to have a few more working brain cells than that boy has. So spill the details, red. How long have you two been together?'

'I'm not at liberty to say.'

'I could tell Hiei you told me to ask him.'

'You would do that to an old friend?' he asked pleadingly.

Shizuru smirked. 'So tell me. Indulge the fangirl.'

'A few months; the better part of a year.'

'You _are _dim,' Shizuru said, sounding mildly surprised. 'I'd have made my move after the Dark Tournament. Men. Really. Do you know,' she continued, 'that Kazuma's going to propose to Yukina soon?'

'Really,' Kurama said thoughtfully. 'Is that why you wanted to talk to me?'

'Something like that. You're the resident Hiei expert, and if there are going to be any explosions, flame attacks or Dark Dragons after my brother, I'd like to know as early as possible, so I can get Kazuma out of the country. He's so moonstruck by his sister, he wouldn't have the good sense to back off. That's the grand old Kuwabara tradition, after all; love to the death and all that.'

'Hmm?'

'Everyone in our family falls in love pretty much at first sight. And they tend to stay very much in love with them. I don't think Kazuma would even notice if anyone else had any interest in him – not,' she added judiciously, flipping her lighter back and forth, 'that the girls have been lining up for the favour either. I asked Genkai about it, and she said it might have something to do with our psychic abilities. My parents weren't very strong in it, but my father still married my mother after knowing her less than three days.'

'Yusuke said Kuwabara was flirting with Botan at first.'

'Yusuke,' Shizuru said, 'is an ass when it comes to these things, and that's my professional opinion. I asked Botan, and according to her, what Kuwabara said was that he'd want to marry someone who looks just like her; and he quit drooling over her the minute he saw Yukina. And Yukina does look terribly like her. Except for the darker eyes and well, she's a little vertically challenged.'

'So is Hiei,' Kurama noted. 'He wasn't very happy about that; most fire demons are over six feet in height. He tends not to be taken seriously – until he turns the first two or so into smears on the wall. Then they all pay very close attention.'

'I can imagine. I was watching his fight with Zeru, remember?'

Kurama chuckled. 'I'll let Hiei know about what you said. I think it would serve to reassure him a little at least. Such things are uncommon with us, but not unheard of.'

'With you,' she echoed, looking curious. 'Such bonds exist with you?'

'A few of the naturally telepathic higher-class youkai, yes. But they're unreliable at best. A sort of recognition, is how I've heard it described.'

'Recognition,' Shizuru mused. 'Yes, you could call it that.' There was an odd sort of sadness in her eyes.

'It's happened to you?' Kurama asked.

'He died,' she said flatly.

That lighter; he'd seen it before, held in long hands, held up to a scarred face. _Him? _'I see.'

'And you? You've never had such a thing?'

'Well, when I met Hiei, he was trying to kill me and I was trying to protect someone else. There wasn't really time to get starry-eyed.'

'Sounds like your relationship's improved.'

'I'd hope so.'

'Not that that would take much. So how great are the chances that Hiei will want to do unspeakable things to my brother?'

'Not very high,' Kurama admitted. 'He's been surprisingly mature about it. Well, the first time I had to paralyse him so he wouldn't do anything rash, but after I pointed out that if he was going to be overprotective of Yukina he would then have to tell her why, and he clammed up right quick after that.'

'I can imagine. Him being the master of communication and all.'

'Exactly. So you can relax.'

Shizuru stubbed out her cigarette. 'Hmm. I suppose I should keep quiet about the Hiei angle then. Oh, he's throwing a party next Wednesday at Genkai's. I don't anticipate a rollicking social scene, because it's just the gang, but I have it on good authority that he might be asking her then. Everyone's invited, by the way; Hiei might need a bit of support, so there's you and good alcohol.'

'I have a feeling he might need both,' Kurama said solemnly.

And that was pretty much that.

---------------------------------------------------

'You're staring at me,' Hiei snapped. 'Stop it.'

'Can't help it,' Kurama grinned, propped up on one elbow and observing him intently.

'Do I have blood on my face?'

'No, you're a neater fighter than that.'

'You've developed this sudden interest in patrolling the border with me,' Hiei noted suspiciously. 'I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to pull off.'

'Nothing at all, Hiei. I enjoy a good fight now and then, and the company's excellent. Besides, you mentioned you were understaffed.' Kurama laughed. 'I never thought I'd live to see the day when Makai armed forces suffered from budget cuts.'

'You and Yusuke are not helping,' Hiei muttered darkly. 'Any time I ask for more people I get told to enlist the two of you since we're all buddy-buddy. Mukuro's treasurer's words, not mine,' he added when Kurama buried his face in the pillow and made faint weeping sounds. '……what's so bloody funny?'

'You,' the pillow said. 'You sound like a disgruntled middle-aged civil servant. Ow,' it added plaintively when a sword-callused hand whacked his mane of red hair with mild venom. 'Uncalled for.'

Hiei sulked loudly enough to be heard through the cotton.

'So what's the big deal? Like Yusuke wouldn't help out; I know he's been itching for some action.'

'Hn.'

'Pff, you're more articulate than that.' Kurama sat up and sniffed at the air around Hiei. 'I take it back. There's some smelly gunk in your hair. I'll wash it off if you want.'

Hiei eyed him suspiciously as he walked over to the bathroom and took off his top. 'You're being nice again.'

'I'm wounded.'

'You,' Hiei said, 'are a chronic and compulsive liar. And while you might be spectacularly good at it, I won't let you insult my intelligence. What's going on?'

'Ah, nothing really,' Kurama said, turning on the handheld shower.

'Oh, look, a flying pig.'

'That sounds really odd when you say it. Since when have you picked up human sarcasm?'

'Yusuke rubs off on people.'

'He does at that. Oh, there's the…whatever it is.' Hiei watched detachedly as red swirled down the drain, some his blood, some not. 'I talked to Shizuru yesterday.'

'Hn.'

'She says Kuwabara's going to propose to Yukina.'

Hiei stiffened, then relaxed. 'And this matters, how?'

'I thought,' Kurama said, threading slender fingers through his hair, 'that if you had something to say to her, it might be best done before then.'

'Hn.'

'You're slipping back into monosyllables. Should I feel discouraged?'

'When are you going to tell your mother who you are?'

'Don't change the subject,' Kurama said severely. 'I think it's all out now. The break-ins. They've been getting worse lately, haven't they?'

'Mmm,' Hiei agreed. 'It's the next tournament. They know all the bigshots are busy with the training and they think – correctly – that it's going to be easier to slip through without anyone noticing.'

'Ah. And what with Natsume's focus being on internal reform, they'll find it easier than it's been since before Sensui's time.'

'I almost miss Enki's rule.'

Kurama laughed. 'It's strange how they call you the killer when you're actually far more interested in peace than I am.'

'That's entirely understandable. Thieves don't do well in peacetime.'

'……so what about Yukina?'

'You're annoyingly focused when I don't want you to be,' Hiei muttered.

'I heard that.'

'Kurama.' The fingers stilled, and then the spray of warm water stopped trickling down his bare back.

'Hiei?' the redhead's voice was uncertain. 'What is it?'

'I can't tell her,' he said, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. 'It's even worse than fear. Fear I can handle.'

'It's called love, Hiei,' Kurama said quietly, and slender arms wrapped around him until they were pressed together. 'You care very deeply for her. You said it yourself: secrets and lies aren't worth much.'

'I know.'

'It's killing you to not tell her.'

'I know,' he admitted, pressing closer.

'She's been looking for you for so long. All those years in the Makai, and here; I know she's strong for an ice maiden, but…it can't have been easy. And where she got the will and the power to do it…that's not strength; that's love, Hiei.'

'I know.'

'She _will_ accept you.'

The silence after that was loud.

'Hiei,' Kurama sighed and dropped his head onto a tight, tense shoulder. 'Why is it so hard for you to accept that people might care for you?'

'That's a lie,' Hiei said hoarsely.

'I don't lie all the time…Hiei. Please. Just tell her. You need it so much. She'll love you, I know she will.'

'I'm not fit for her.'

'You think she's some vision of purity, Hiei? She's your sister; she's as forbidden as you. She's lived in the Makai. She's wandered through two worlds looking for you for years. She's spent a considerable amount of that time under torture here. Do you think she's never killed? Never maimed? Never used her powers to make anything more deadly than a snowball? She's nearly as powerful as Touya was before the Dark Tournament; you think she never practiced with those powers? Hiei, what kind of dreamworld are you living in?'

'Shut up.'

'I won't,' Kurama snapped. 'You need this. She needs this. If you stop being pigheaded you'll see it.'

'_Shut up_! It's none of your business!'

'Okay,' Kurama whispered. 'Okay. Fine. That's your move.' He withdrew, and soft footsteps padded from the bathroom.

Hiei leaned forward against the edge of the shower and strongly considered putting a fist through the tiles. The water was almost out of his hair and body now; one benefit of having an adjustable body temperature. 'Shit,' he mumbled. 'Shit, shit, shit. Kurama!' he yelled, pulling on his spare set of clothing and storming out of the bathroom.

'What?'

Ooh, scary voice. 'I'll do it, okay?'

'Do what?'

And were the walls frosting over? 'I'll tell her. Sometime this week. Mostly,' he added, because Kurama was notoriously literal when it came to these things.

'Ah.' Kurama sounded a little mollified. 'Not that I'd care either way, since it's none of my business.'

Okay, _not_ mollified. 'I…'

'I'll be surprised if you can actually choke an apology out, but judging by your apopletic expression you're trying, so I'll be nice and accept.'

Hiei glowered. 'Why thank you.'

The sarcasm drifted serenely past Kurama, who had still not turned to face him. The green eye he could see in the mirror, partially hidden behind a shock of red hair, glared balefully at him. 'Don't you have patrol or something?'

'Not today. I'm almost worn out.'

'You're staying here?'

'Do you want me to?'

'That has nothing to do with the fight,' Kurama said firmly. 'If you keep running off every time you have a thought you can't handle I'm going to get fairly angry with you.'

Hiei snorted. 'You run away without going anywhere.'

That received a look of honest shock. 'I know,' Kurama said finally. 'I'm sorry. But I never said I was fair.'

'I'll never understand you.'

'Likewise,' Kurama said, rubbing his temples. 'Why is such a simple thing so difficult?'

Hiei had no answer, so he went over and sat down instead, back to cloth-covered back. Kurama made a small pleased noise, and Hiei leaned his head against his neck. Ah, the advantages of a taller partner…

Hiei was silent, hoping that Kurama would pick up on his mood; he did, and Hiei had almost nodded off when something Kurama had said earlier occurred to him.

'You're right,' he said slowly. 'There has been a lot more activity on the border. Is that why you keep insisting on coming with me?' because if Kurama had any idiotic ideas about protecting him or anything like that, he was going to kill him. Just. Kill. Him.

'Hmm? But I'm just looking for a fight, Hiei,' Kurama said, and even if he couldn't see it he knew the innocent, injured expression the kitsune would have. 'A little entertainment to pass the time. You'd grudge me that?'

'I'm never going to get a straight answer out of you, am I?'

'Finally you guess.'

'Arrogant last-word freak.'

'You're just jealous.'

'And you're trying to be all noble and all. It's a little wearying.'

'It's only being noble if I'm not doing it for my own sake. And we've established I don't do anything that's not for my sake, so your argument is clearly specious.'

'I suppose so,' Hiei agreed. 'You'll have to teach me how you can be so incredibly egocentric while still making everyone think you're a self-sacrificing hero.'

'Heroism,' Kurama said solemnly, 'is the art of being stupid enough to get into dangerous situations and being lucky enough to survive them. For instance,' he raised a long finger, 'you were very heroic against Kaito.'

'Oh, shut up.'

'Heroism would also be attending that party next week.'

'Why aren't you shutting up?'

'There will be drinks. Enough to get even us drunk, Shizuru assures us, in case we need it.'

'Still not shutting up.'

'There'll be ice-cream too.'

'Are you _ever_ going to shut up?'

'I'll be bringing my video camera, you know.'

Hiei groaned.


	34. The stubbornness of foxes

_**The stubbornness of foxes**_

'I can…do…nh…this…myself…' Kurama mumbled, curling in around himself, voice so faint Hiei wasn't sure whether he was hearing it normally or whether his telepathy was being helpful for a change.

'Like hell you can,' Hiei retorted as he hauled the kitsune upright. The plants sprouting from the gashed forearm hissed towards him and he torched the ends absently. They retreated.

'Donneed…help…'

'Shut up, you're being difficult…' he grumbled as he began to walk, almost dragging him with him.

'No, the…plants…I'mjus…contrary.'

Hiei stared at him. 'Was that a joke?'

Kurama made a tiny noise in the back of his throat that might have been a giggle before his eyes closed and he sagged onto Hiei.

'Is he all right?' the masked fighter asked, sharp eyes fixed on the unconscious kitsune. She looked better for her brief imprisonment with Hiei, but if his own condition was anything to go by she would need a large amount of sleep before she was in any condition to fight. 'Your arm…'

'I'll be fine,' Hiei grunted, and shifted Kurama around until he was more or less in his arms – he didn't want to risk death by rosewhip if Kurama heard that he'd been lugged around like a sack of potatoes, and this was at least more dignified.

To his surprise, the redhead squirmed weakly. 'Leggo. Can…walk.'

'Stubborn fool fox.'

Kurama smiled weakly as he wobbled to his feet. 'Hi…ei. Thanks.' One hand went to his hair and extracted a seed, which he slipped into his mouth. 'Painkiller,' he whispered. 'Spell…gone. Hiei…'

'All right,' Hiei huffed as he slipped an arm around Kurama's waist. 'Don't keep yattering at me.'

They walked (staggered) to the edge of the ring, Kurama leaning heavily on Hiei. Without a word, Kuwabara joined on the other side, though he looked at least as tired as Kurama. Hiei shot him a brief almost-grateful look as he lifted Kurama's other shoulder.

Kurama passed out twice more before they reached the hotel, flickering in and out of wakefulness but stumbling forward nonetheless, out of stubbornness more than anything else. The same stubbornness that had kept him upright even after he'd fainted fighting Touya.

When they reached their rooms, Yukina offered her talents to Kurama. He declined firmly but politely and somehow made it to his room, collapsing on the bed immediately.

'You're an idiot,' Hiei said, following him in and ripping off his headband; hopefully, the jagan wouldn't try anything funny until he was fully recovered – it had a vested interest in his survival, but it was unreliable at times. 'A reckless, idiotic idiot. And don't talk.'

Kurama, still down-a-few-pints pale, managed a weak grin now that the effort of walking was over. _Points for creativity, _he said in Hiei's mind.

'Hn.' Hiei gave him a considering glance. 'How bad is that thing?'

Kurama gestured vaguely. _It'll be gone by the morning. It might–_ he winced briefly _– take some effort, however._

'Hn.' With three efficient but gentle tugs, Hiei ripped the shirt off, exposing the ugly gash in full.

_Didn't know…you were so eager to undress me._

'Shut up. Do you want these plants burnt off?'

Kurama raised an eyebrow. Hiei waited before he realised what was happening.

'Just say it, damn it, and stop quibbling.'

_Yes._

'Fine.'

The plants sizzled and died.

'How deep is it?'

_All…through me. Most of my arm, around my throat, to my mouth. This is going to be work._

'Your _mouth_?' Hiei said incredulously.

_Where else could I…damn it, _ow_…… have put the seed under my skin from? _Kurama's voice said, fully in his mind now, breathing harsh. _Chewed it off my hair, half-swallowed it and activated it from the inside. Thanks. _

'Hmm,' he said, staring with fascination as the green stubs of plants withered and withdrew slowly. 'That looks painful.'

_It is. _His other hand was white-knuckled.

'I thought you said the ability to feel pain was a strength.'

_Then there are times when I wish I wasn't so strong, _Kurama said wryly.

'Idiot.' Hiei leaned against the headboard of the too-soft bed beside Kurama and stretched his legs out. He watched as Kurama's eyes drooped. 'Isn't it dangerous for you to sleep?'

_Not really. _Even Kurama's mind-voice sounded tired. _Once I've begun the process of destroying the plant it should take over of its own. _

'Okay.' Hiei hesitated. 'What happened back there? You were out cold, but you were still standing. I've never seen that before.'

_Wasn't unconscious. Just…couldn't move. Couldn't speak. I knew everything, though._

'What Yusuke did,' Hiei said quickly, before he lost his nerve. 'I would have, too.'

_I think I knew that. _

Hiei snorted. 'Arrogant bastard, aren't you?'

_Hiei?_

'Yeah?'

_Thank you. _

'Hn.'

_Goodnight, Hiei. _

'I'll stay awake,' Hiei promised.

_Thanks. _

Kurama fell asleep almost immediately, as if whatever had kept him awake this long was suddenly removed. His sleep was uneasy, his features twisting with whatever nightmares or pain plagued him, one arm cradling the other in an uncomfortable position as he lay on his side facing Hiei. Every so often his arm muscles spasmed as his body worked to erase the foreign taint. Hiei stared at the wall ahead, his senses evenly divided between the sleeping redhead and the area around them, watching for danger.

An hour or so later, Kurama slipped his injured arm over Hiei's legs and sighed softly as the pain of keeping it supported eased. Hiei stiffened briefly; the touch could be a hindrance if they were attacked, and he didn't want to be touched – but Kurama had touched most of him anyway while healing him over the years; this was an equally impersonal touch, and the kitsune was fast asleep, he could tell from his breathing, so he let it lie there; stayed awake as the sickly tinge to Kurama's aura slowly dissolved, studying the fading X scar on the pale cheek, and thought about things.

Yusuke came in soon after dark to check on them. His eyes widened when he took in their positions. Hiei shot him the nastiest glare he could summon, and felt vaguely satisfied when Yusuke hastily edged out of the room and shut the door firmly behind him.

He made sure he was gone before Kurama woke.

The next morning Kurama was acting as if none of it had happened, and everything was back to normal; he'd donned another of his fighting suits and was once again mocking them all indiscriminately without ever losing his angelic poise. Yusuke and Kuwabara, displaying wisdom beyond their years, didn't mention it either. Hiei was relieved; he wasn't sure what he would have done if Yusuke or Kuwabara had taken it into their heads to tease him about it, but he was sure that Team Urameshi would have been needing a fighter shortly after that – either because of him or Kurama, who was in many ways even more private than Hiei, and who would take very unkindly to prying, especially considering the horrifying lack of subtlety Yusuke and Kuwabara had in these situations.

Besides, it was nothing to make a fuss about. Utterly forgettable, and not at all important – the fights were starting again, and he had a dragon to master.

But when Kurama whispered a brief thanks to him during a quiet moment, he felt himself almost smile.

A/N: So, I'm back from a long vacation in the mountains which was all kinds of shiny. The Hiei-tells-Yukina story is next, but I've not finished it yet, so it might take a while. And it may be a multi-part thing. You have been warned.


	35. The keeping of secrets

In which both Hiei and Yukina have confessions to make, a kitsune is a reluctant observer, and Kurama has his hair pulled.

_**The Keeping of Secrets**_

A/N: as far as animeverse goes, Hiei and Yukina are fraternal twins; their father is never mentioned, I believe. So I've been creative. And for the record, I hate this fic. It was like pulling teeth to write it. Without anaesthetic. imperious Appreciate me for writing it!

It was a matter of general agreement among the ex-detectives and their extended families that Yukina was a sort of pure and naïve girl (older than Genkai, but still a girl) who had to be sheltered from the harshness of the real world, gently guided through life, protected from every harm…

And there were days when, admirable as their motives were, she felt a real need to throttle them all for it.

Yukina tapped one shoe-clad foot (another new thing, but human fashions were so much more interesting than the traditional clothing of her people) impatiently as she surveyed the long table of food that she and Genkai had made for the party. Everyone had said they would bring food, of course, but Genkai only trusted Keiko and Kurama to bring anything really filling – the Kuwabaras couldn't cook to save their lives, and Yusuke wouldn't have bothered, even though years spent in Atsuko's scatterbrained care had left him with some skills in that area.

Three hours to go, and nothing for her to do but sit and stare at the food simmering gently on the warmers.

Nobody had told her what the party was _for_, and it was obvious it was for something. Keiko had been all giggles during the preparations, and had clammed up very quickly when Yukina had asked her why. Kazuma had been sneaking around the whole week, and he and Genkai had exchanged some very significant looks. Most telling, Shizuru had been grinning around her cigarette when she said something about the party being a surprise.

As always, she was the last to know. Always waiting to be told, and never quite told everything she wanted to know. More than anything, that was what angered her – that everyone claimed to be denying her in her own interest.

There were footsteps outside. Familiar footsteps.

-------------------------------

She came out to meet them, wearing another of the pretty dresses she had acquired over the years – blue, cut short and girlish somehow, belying her years, and Kurama felt Hiei freeze perceptibly by his side.

'Hiei,' he murmured in encouragement.

'Why, you're early,' Yukina began, and then stopped halfway down the stairs to Genkai's house, staring at first Kurama then Hiei in bewilderment. 'Is something…wrong…?'

Hiei's mouth opened and shut. Twice.

Kurama began to edge past them towards the house. 'I think I'll just…'

Hiei's hand shot up with miraculous accuracy and grabbed one of Kurama's very convenient eartails. The kitsune yelped. 'What was that for?!'

'Tell her, fox,' Hiei gritted.

Yukina looked from one to another, a puzzled crease in her brow.

'Hiei, what–'

'Tell her!'

Kurama stared accusingly at Hiei, letting him read the _this-wasn't-the-plan _expression. Hiei refused to meet his eyes, neatly defusing the strategy.

'Hiei…'

'You. Heard. Me.' Red eyes flickered up to his for just a second, and Kurama's eyes narrowed in response. There was something odd there…something…he had planned this. But why?

'Yukina,' he began, and stopped. This was exactly the kind of thing he hated dealing with. 'I…that is, Hiei… Hiei wanted you to know that…he is your…'

He stopped again. There was no point in continuing. Yukina's eyes – so like Hiei's – were already filling with tears.

Two dropped loudly to the ground, and Hiei flinched visibly.

'My twin.' Yukina's eyes were wide, so wide, nearly as wide as Hiei's. 'You're my twin…aren't you, Hiei? Isn't that what you wanted to tell me?'

Another tremor rippled through Hiei. Kurama clamped a hand down on his shoulder, half restraining, half protective, and Hiei stepped a little closer to him in silent acceptance, both of the support and of the fact that no, running away right now (attractive as it sounded) would probably be harder to deal with later.

The tears stopped very quickly, and Yukina pulled herself together visibly, still a few feet from them, standing stiffly, as if it cost her to do so. 'Why are you telling me this now?'

'You knew,' Hiei said in a strange voice. 'You knew. Right from the beginning. How?'

'How could I not?' Yukina burst out. 'You look just like our father!'

Silence.

'Our father?' Hiei said finally. 'You knew him?'

'I tracked him down,' his sister replied. 'While I was trying to find you. He didn't want anything to do with me – with either of us. But he looked just like you – the hair, the skin, the nose, the eyes – we both have half-breed eyes, don't we? And when I saw you using fire at the Dark Tournament, fire like he used, I knew it had to be you. he told me to leave, said that he didn't want anything to do with a weakling ice-woman like me. So I left. But he did tell me he'd heard you were in the human world. That's how I came here looking for you.'

'I never dared to ask you that,' Hiei said, shaken. 'I never dared to ask you if you knew.'

'You knew I knew. Why didn't you?' Yukina retorted, and Kurama could see the tears trembling at the corner of her eyes; could hear the steel in her voice, suddenly so like her brother's.

'Did you want me to?' Hiei asked, and he sounded lost, young and so very afraid.

'Of course I…why…' her voice broke, the tears plopped dully onto the mud of the path. 'Why wouldn't I have wanted you to tell me?'

Kurama let go of Hiei's shoulders, feeling the tremors worsen, but letting him loose of the tenuous protection his grip had afforded. Hiei had brought him here as a fallback, one reliable shield in case his worst fears had proved true; but if he wanted to fulfil that role, he would have to push him out from behind that shield. Hiei took a cautious step forward. 'But I'm…I'm not a…not worth you.'

'Not worth me?' her voice was shaking abominably; they both were. 'What–'

'I'm a criminal,' Hiei interrupted. 'A murderer. A curse. I've done horrible things. I didn't want you to have a brother like that.' His voice was harsh, blunt, and Kurama winced; he'd intended those words to wound himself, to brace himself for the rejection he was sure was coming.

Was he still really so stubborn in his belief that he was unloved?

'And that's why?' Yukina asked as she clutched at his shoulders desperately. 'You thought I would be ashamed of you?' she laughed bitterly, an emotion Kurama had never seen in her before. 'And for so long…Hiei, I thought _you_ were ashamed of _me_.'

Hiei stiffened, arms held uncomfortably at his sides, resisting the urge to hold her, resisting the urge to run away. 'Why would I be ashamed of you?' he demanded, raw and open. 'Why would I ever?'

'I'm weak,' Yukina whispered, and she was crying now, for the both of them. 'I'm powerless. I'm just a backwoods healer and you're one of the best fighters in the worlds. I'm not like you. I can't fight or protect people I care about, I…'

'You're my _sister_,' Hiei said fiercely, as if he were making up for years of not saying it, and he found his arms coming up to wrap around her almost automatically, thanks to months of Kurama doing the same to him. 'I… that doesn't matter to me. None of that. I'd never…I don't care about anything like that.'

Yukina drew away, looked him straight in the eyes. 'Then why,' she said, 'do you believe that I would?'

For a moment, they were still, frozen by the implications of that statement; Hiei's arms tight and awkward around Yukina, one of her hands raised clumsily to his face, Kurama standing behind them, feeling out of place.

Then Hiei collapsed.

It was so unexpected that both Kurama and Yukina were caught off-guard when Hiei's head fell forward onto his twin's shoulders, his legs giving out under him, crumpling to his knees, Yukina sinking down startled with him as he burrowed into her, her tears finally drying with shock as he finally broke down, dry sobs wracking him, wracking them both, Yukina was crying too now, the whole movement seamless and quick.

Quietly, because what Hiei had wanted him to do was done, Kurama withdrew, leaving brother and sister together.

-------------------------------

He slipped into the temple silently, but Genkai was waiting for him inside anyway.

'So he's finally told her, has he,' she said, trying to disguise her happiness behind her usual crotchety façade.

Kurama smiled, even brighter. 'So he has.'

'It was about time.'

'How did you know?' Kurama asked, curious.

'Yukina told me once.'

'Ah. I see.' Kurama shook his head. 'He's such a fool.'

'No more than you,' Genkai said sharply and left him.

'I suppose so, Genkai,' he murmured, sombre again, and turned to the door to watch the pair on the path, still clutching madly at each other. 'I suppose so.'


	36. Elements of a partnership

**_Elements of a partnership _**

A/N: set post-series. In my timeline, after chapter 30. Inspired by that awesomest of doujinshis, Snow Falling on Water by Fuji Shinchi (best IC Kurama ever). Nose around on makai-nights (dot) org's doujinshi page to find it. If you like manipulation and shounen-ai, it should suit you.

_"We view our relationship as one of stimulation rather than of getting used to each other." –Snow Falling on Water. _

'Fox. I want to fight you.'

Kurama looked up from his homework. 'No.'

'That was a warning, not a request.'

He smiled. 'I was under the impression that you chose me as your partner so you would avoid this very situation.'

Hiei's eyebrow arched. 'And this is exactly why you let Genbu get in that blow.'

'Perhaps you should try to flatter me to death, then. Since you're asserting that it's an effective tactic.'

'I want to fight you,' Hiei repeated, insistent.

'We spar all the time.'

'That isn't the same and you know it.'

'What do you want, Hiei?' he pushed the chair back and stood. 'A deathmatch?'

'A fight.'

'I can't oblige you, then. I'm not in the habit of leaving my opponents alive.'

'You lost more matches at the Dark Tournament than I ever did.'

'Unfortunately, those were not my opponents.' Kurama smiled. 'I tend to take my real fights far more personally.'

'And a fight with me would be personal.'

'Why are you asking for this now?' Kurama asked, blithely ignoring that.

'Because I want to see exactly who you are.'

'You're a very poor judge of character if that's the only way you can perceive it.'

'Don't mock me.'

'Was I? I believed I was accusing you.'

Fingers closed roughly around Kurama's jaw. 'You're a liar,' Hiei said roughly. 'You're a cheat. The only time you're real is when you're fighting someone. You're smoke and mirrors, just a pretty lie. Or so I think, and then you change everything.'

'So what you want is to understand me.'

Hiei's hand tightened. 'I could kill you in a moment, here, now.'

'You could.' There was no fear in Kurama's eyes.

Hiei let go. 'You're insane.'

'Merely disciplined.'

'Discipline,' Hiei sneered. 'You discipline yourself into suicide.'

'Your point?'

'You really have no fear, do you?' Hiei snapped. 'You've trained yourself out of it, and now you don't care whether you live or die.'

Kurama grinned. 'On the contrary, I tend to be the last man standing. As much of a man as I can be with youkai blood, that is.'

'That's because your pride won't permit it, not your desire to live.'

'Of course.' Kurama shrugged. 'In the absence of courage and fear as motivators, pride proves an acceptable substitute.'

'You may be a coward, but I still want to fight you.'

'Request not granted.'

'I told you it wasn't a request.'

'You're not the type to strike an unprepared opponent, are you?' Kurama asked mildly. He crossed over to the bed and lay down, stretching his arms over his head. 'You are, of course, free to kill me. As we both know, I'm not particularly concerned about dying.'

A flash of honest anger crossed Hiei's face at the ploy, followed quickly by understanding. 'What else are you afraid of?' he asked point-blank.

Kurama tilted his head. 'Your meaning?'

Hiei took a deep breath. 'If there's one thing I've learned about you,' he said slowly, 'it's that you always have a backup plan, a last resort and a concealed motive.'

'And here you claim you don't understand me. How sad.'

'There's something else you're afraid of, isn't there?'

'Of course there is,' Kurama said tranquilly.

'Tell me what it is,' Hiei demanded. He leaned one knee on the bed, looming over the kitsune.

Kurama sat up. It put their faces a few inches away, close enough for Hiei to see the faint smile in Kurama's eyes. 'I,' he said, 'do not like seeing people I care about in danger.'

Hiei's brow furrowed. 'What?'

'You know me better than you think, Hiei; and don't forget, I know you.' That smile was stronger. 'I care about my friends, and my family, but - I'm a survivor and you're not. You, you can't even leave an enemy who asked your help to die betrayed. If we fought, you would be stronger, you might even be the one left alive, but it is I who would walk away the winner, because I can strike at what wounds my heart and survive it, but you cannot. Do you understand me?'

Hiei had stopped breathing.

'So tell me,' Kurama continued, 'why did you really want to fight me?'

Hiei dropped his eyes, stepped away from the bed. 'Today…' he said quickly. 'Today, I beat Mukuro hand-to-hand.'

Kurama scrubbed a hand through his hair. 'I see,' he said, and unexpectedly began to laugh. 'Is that all, you little fool?'

'What?' Hiei bristled. He was the one who was supposed to be calling Kurama names, not the other way around.

'So what am I, the next challenger? The one you've never beaten? I suppose you'd go ask Yusuke to fight you then. Sorry, but I won't be on that list.'

'Why?' Hiei asked, almost desperate.

'It's very simple, Hiei,' Kurama said. 'You're the kind of person who defines life by achievement. If you feel you've done enough, you'll let yourself be killed by anyone.'

Hiei stiffened. Kurama didn't know the truth, couldn't know the truth, but…

'Once you're satisfied, you won't allow yourself to find new reasons to live. You're exactly like your fighting style – so focused on one thing that everything else ceases to matter. Do you think I don't notice how you die a little after every battle, because it wasn't the one that fulfilled your thirst for the ultimate fight?'

'Shut up.'

'And as long as I live, you won't be able to let yourself die, knowing there's someone who refused you a fight, someone who could now very well beat you, and hoping that I'll let you fight me, truly fight me, someday.' Kurama smiled, like a predator. 'So go, Hiei. Fight whom you please. As long as your challenge to me goes unanswered, you'll live.'

'I hate you for this,' Hiei spat.

'That is, of course, your prerogative.' Kurama's eyes were distant. 'You'll thank me for this someday. I promise I won't gloat. Excessively,' he corrected with a slight grin.

'You're a manipulative freak.'

'Now you're trying that flattery thing? I thought we went over this, Hiei.'

Conflicting emotions raced across Hiei's face. 'Kurama…'

'It's okay, Hiei,' Kurama said gently. 'It's okay. I get it.' He hesitated. 'You can go now, if you want. I won't stop you.'

Hiei seized the opportunity.

In the silence that followed his exit, Kurama stood, brushed himself off, sat down at his desk and opened his homework before he leaned back contemplatively in his chair, one hand under his chin.

'Yes, you'll live,' he said quietly. 'You'll live. And what's more, you'll come back. Again and again, because I'm the last challenge, the last battle, the one you've never fought. And I'm the one you'll never fight, because you'll die after it, one way or another, and I can't permit that. But you'll return to me, again and again, hoping for that release, and we can dance around that possibility, you and I.'

He closed his eyes, and almost smiled.

'And that, I think, will be battle enough for both of us to live for.'


	37. A matter of time

_**A matter of time**_

A/N: Set directly after the Dark Tournament. Because this popped into my head in the shower and throttled my brain and made me snort, and it actually made sense. It's a stand-alone oneshot; just in here because it's Hiei and Kurama.

'Answer me a question,' Hiei said on the way back to Kurama's house.

The ship had docked at an unearthly hour, and the streets were deserted as they moved silently through them. Kurama looked rather happy to go home, and had invited Hiei to spend the night at his place, since they could both use a good night's sleep without worrying about intruders; no youkai around the city was stupid enough to attack them when they were together. Hiei had accepted; he was more tired than he appeared, and at least staying with Kurama meant three square meals, clean clothes and privacy, which was more than a tree could provide.

'Hmm?' Kurama said absently. He was tossing his keys up into the air and catching them soundlessly as he walked. Since the key ring was full of keys and would, in anyone else's hands, have clanked abominably each time they connected with their palm, this was an impressive feat.

'There's something strange,' Hiei said slowly, 'about your transformations.'

Clank.

'Er,' Kurama said. 'Yes?'

'Youkai transformation is usually very quick,' Hiei pointed out. This was something they both knew well – any situation that required a youkai to transform into their most powerful form was one that didn't permit shilly-shallying. 'And usually not as flashy as yours is. All that smoke and crackling youki. It's very impressive, I'll admit, but there isn't any point to it. Is it a side-effect of the potion?'

'….something like that,' Kurama said, scrubbing at the back of his head.

'Liar.'

'Ah. Well. No, not really a side effect. Although you could say it was, too.'

Hiei shot him a speaking look. 'I am not stupid. 'It takes less than a second for youki to change from one to the other; so there's a reason for the special effects. You're hiding something, fox. Out with it.'

His eyebrow then shot up. Kurama was, of all things…blushing.

'Now,' he said slowly, 'I'm _really _curious.'

'…do we really have to discuss this?' Kurama asked plaintively.

'You owe me,' Hiei snapped.

Kurama sighed. 'Hiei? Rest assured that if Yusuke, Kuwabara or anyone else ever hears about this, I will feel the need to exact revenge.'

Hiei grunted. 'Stop delaying.'

'…the time,' Kurama mumbled.

'What?'

'The potion. It's not effective enough, so it takes a little longer than it should to transform me from half-human to full youkai; there's a gap of about fifteen seconds. That's why I need the protection of that smoke.'

'Protection?' Hiei asked, puzzled.

Kurama looked embarrassed. 'There's one major difference between your transformation and mine.'

'And that is?' Hiei asked. He was getting a little tired of all the deflecting.

'Well, when you transform…your clothes stay the same.' Kurama shrugged, still a little pink around the cheeks. 'Mine, on the other hand…'

It took him a second to get it, and a few more to double-check the information.

'…ah,' Hiei said finally, enlightened. He fought valiantly to keep a straight face, because he was in no condition to fight, and if he even cracked a grin, Kurama would have him chopped into mincemeat to feed one or the other of those really creepy plants he carried in his forelocks.

'So you see,' Kurama said, sounding composed again, and not at all like someone who had come within seconds of flashing an entire arena of youkai, including at least one who had had an entirely unhealthy fixation on him, 'that was why I sent all that smoke flying around; you were right, by the way; I was the one who generated the smoke. I thought it was rather well done, myself. Elegant, but dramatic; understated, but effective.'

'…I see,' Hiei said, too numb to even make a comment on Kurama's vanity. He was still fighting that attack of laughter, which threatened to overwhelm him at any second.

'It's only the potion that's delaying the transformation,' Kurama said thoughtfully. 'If I can bring myself to the point where I can transform without artificial catalysts, I can deal with that problem quite easily.'

Hiei said nothing for a while, and they walked along in silence.

'I suppose I should get to practicing the transformation,' Kurama said, eyeing him sideways, with That Look in his eyes.

'How do you suppose you're going to record the time?' Hiei inquired.

'Why, are you volunteering?'

Hiei choked.


	38. A definition of tacticians

**_A definition of tacticians _**

A/N: this is the sequel to The Keeping Of Secrets. Detailing the party, Yusuke being an ass. Unfortunately, nobody gets drunk. If you want to read that, check out my 13 drabbles collection. Kuwabara may be OOC. He is an eternal enigma to me, cute though he is. And this is probably the longest YYH oneshot I've ever posted (though not the longest oneshot). Love me. And if you don't get the title, go watch the Three Artifacts Arc again.

It was about three hours after Hiei and Kurama had arrived at Genkai's that the rest of the group came trooping up the interminable flight of stairs to the temple. Kuwabara was in the forefront, of course; Kurama noted that he was being a lot less boisterous about seeing "The Love of All His Lives, Yuuuukiiiiiiiiinnaaaaaaaa!" as he'd called her the last time. In fact, he looked vaguely nauseous.

Oh, well, proposing did that to a man sometimes.

Yusuke, Keiko and Shizuru were with him. The psychic was trying to bolster her brother's spirits – which meant an equal distribution of sensible advice (which no one suffering from nerves has ever benefited from) and cuffs on the head (which no one suffering from nerves has ever appreciated in the least). Yusuke was enjoying the situation immensely, while Keiko looked torn between sympathy and amusement.

At some point, Hiei and Yukina had left the path and moved off into the trees. Until he'd sensed their arrival, Kurama had been inside Genkai's arcade, playing a word puzzle with single-minded devotion. Even he was unsure whether it was an attempt to distract himself or to stop himself from going after the other two.

'Hey! Where is everyone?' Kuwabara said, far too loudly and artificially. He really did look ill.

'Here already,' Kurama smiled. 'You're late.'

'Yeah, the Prince of Love had to change sixteen times,' Yusuke muttered.

Kuwabara looked as if it was only the pristine purity of his brand-new blazer and jeans that prevented him from making Yusuke eat a knuckle sandwich.

Keiko, noting this, kindly obliged him

Kurama snickered gently as Yusuke nursed his reddening cheek.

'Where's Yukina?' Shizuru asked. 'I don't sense her in the temple.'

'She's…out in the woods somewhere,' Kurama replied evasively. Hiei was probably shielding them both, he hadn't felt a thing and his senses were nearly as sharp as Kuwabara's when it came to tracking by energy. 'She should be back.'

'So Hiei didn't make it here, huh,' Yusuke noted.

'Actually, he's…' Kurama trailed off. 'With Yukina at the moment. He wanted to tell her something.'

Yusuke's eyes narrowed as Shizuru's widened. Good. So they knew.

'With Yukina?' Kuwabara sputtered. 'What for?'

Oh. Right. He didn't know. Kurama felt vaguely chagrined. He was the one who was supposed to have it all together. 'It's…demon stuff,' he hedged weakly.

'I bet he's just trying to steal my girlfriend,' Kuwabara swore, slapping his fist into his palm. 'That'd be just like him.'

Kurama couldn't help it. He began to snicker. So did Shizuru, who was the only other one to fully appreciate the joke in that situation. He knew Hiei was getting closer, and he probably Did Not Appreciate that statement.

'I can assure you,' Kurama said, a wide grin threatening to break through, 'that Hiei is not, in fact, remotely romantically interested in Yukina.'

'Oh.' Kuwabara deflated. 'So what does he want to tell her then?'

'That would be none of your damn business,' Hiei said from a tree, right above them.

'Yahhhh!' both Yusuke and Kuwabara said, and they all jumped. Kurama continued snickering.

Hiei looked Unimpressed.

'So what were you doing with my Yukina?' Kuwabara demanded.

'Not making a damn fool of myself, which is more than you can say at any time,' Hiei retorted smoothly, ignoring the human's outraged protest. He looked at Kurama. 'Is there even a point to this conversation?'

'Why you,' Kuwabara began, obviously ready to do some damage and to hell with his blazer, when Yukina emerged from the trees, smiling and waving.

'Kazuma! Keiko!'

Hiei was instantly forgotten, as were the nerves.

'Yuuukiiiiiiinaaaaaa!'

-------------------------------------------------------

Hiei stayed in the tree as the rest of the group left, and pretended not to notice that Kurama had stayed behind. He wasn't in the noticing mood.

Kurama didn't care, of course. Insensitive bastard. It was one of the reasons Hiei hated him.

'You're not leaving,' he said finally, flatly.

'They won't miss me for a while,' Kurama said calmly. 'Kuwabara's busy being nervous, and the others are busy laughing at him. It's a pity to pass up the entertainment, but I did think this more important.'

'Hn.'

'Are you all right?'

And that, right there, was another. Stupid human tendency to ask obvious questions.

'So I take it things went well.'

'Hn.'

Kurama huffed and swung lithely up into the tree beside him. One branch bent obligingly to offer a better foothold. 'She looks very happy.'

'She always looks happy.'

'There's more to her than that,' Kurama observed. One arm snaked around Hiei's waist, and he stiffened. Kurama continued to look oblivious, swinging his legs like a child.

'Move away.'

'No.'

'I said move.'

'You have this really irrational phobia about being affectionate in public,' Kurama said severely, 'and there's all sorts of really interesting exhibitionism we can't indulge in unless you deal with it for good.'

Hiei's eyebrow twitched. 'Irrational phobia, fox?'

'Obviously.'

'This is your move?'

'If that's how you want to take it,' Kurama replied.

Hiei eyed him sideways. They'd not played that game in a while, but it made for a useful fallback when he couldn't think of tactics; and right now, after everything that had happened, feeling scraped raw and torn open, he had few strategies to summon, little energy to fight and less desire to do so. Instead of replying, he chose to turn on the branch until his back rested on Kurama's shoulder, and didn't protest when the arm that had fallen away in his movements sneaked back around his waist, or when Kurama laid his cheek on his hair.

'I'm trying not to say I told you so,' Kurama murmured, laughter in his voice.

'The phobia?'

'Yukina.'

Hiei stiffened, then relaxed. There was no point in arguing that. 'I still think she's a fool.'

'You seem to be surrounded by them, then. And you still can't see that they're there.'

'I can see it,' Hiei retorted. 'I just don't know why.'

He felt a tingle of energy from Kurama, and the large conifer creaked as its branches bent unnaturally, providing Kurama with a rough backrest. 'Sybarite.'

Kurama leaned back and moved Hiei until he was more or less cradled in his arms, his legs stretched out perpendicular to Kurama's, one arm wrapped around Kurama's waist for support. 'Why? Because you matter. Because you're worth the prickles and the thorns and the sulking. Because you suit me, and you fascinate me, and you challenge me. You're the strongest person I know, in many ways, and true strength is something I have always found worth pursuing. And you should know I never spend time on anything unworthy of it.'

Hiei closed his eyes. They were in a rather precarious position, and he hated falling, but it was oddly secure and calming, here, with the scent of pine and Kurama and strong arms around him. Calming, quiet, serene, and just what he needed after the past few hours.

He had always thought Yukina would cry when he told her, and she had. He'd thought she would cry for a long time after, but it was he who had done that – not cried, because he barely remembered how, but trembled with released grief and unfounded fear as she held him and soothed him. He had felt trapped, cornered, vulnerable, and if not for the few months Kurama had been subtly conditioning him to accept a gentle touch, he was sure he would have lashed out or run away. And then, once that had subsided, she had begun to talk, still holding him – nothing significant, nothing very emotional, for they were both too new to this feeling to test it with such things. Just simple stories, of growing up and beauty, little things that he'd missed, what she'd found while looking for him. Rambling, almost, in happiness, and slight fear at his uncharacteristic breakdown, and it had brought him back to reality slowly, until he could reply, respond. By the time the others had arrived, he had been more or less back to normal, and so had she, and she'd given him a lovely, shy smile and a kiss on the cheek and told him she was going back to their friends, and to join them when he was ready. He had, though he'd flitted ahead out of sheer habit, and he'd sought them out, knowing that Kurama's curiosity would lead him to stay.

Which, he had rightly anticipated, would in turn lead to something rather like this.

After all, Kurama wasn't quite as mysterious as he always pretended to be, and Hiei knew that beneath the manipulation and the flirtation, some part of Kurama's constant physical contact was a need for reassurance; something he was too proud to ask for outright. He supposed it had to come out somewhere, all that hidden vulnerability and the results were quite pleasant, and he couldn't really resist, had never been able to where Kurama was concerned, not really.

This felt nice.

Kurama was humming, softly and tunelessly, and the wind was making the trees sway gently. It was a rocking motion, relaxing. Hiei peeked an eye open, and saw that Kurama had his closed, a small smile on his lips. Hiei closed his as well.

This was very, very nice.

'Hey! Fox-boy! Spiky! You two out there?'

And Yusuke needed to die.

'Will he find us up here?' Hiei asked without opening his eyes.

'That seems a possibility,' Kurama replied solemnly.

'I could shield us.'

'Yusuke's got zero spirit sensitivity. He's just looking for us in the ordinary way.'

'Yo, spiky, come out or I'll take away your hair gel!'

'We could kill him,' he suggested.

'And go back to jail?'

'You could break us out.'

'And be on the wanted list again?' Kurama asked lazily.

'Hey, KuRAma! HI-ei!'

'I could get you a job.'

'And be a law-abiding citizen?'

'If you don't come out right now, I'm gonna finish all the food!' Yusuke yelled.

Hiei snorted. 'There's just no satisfying you, is there?'

'I'm famously unsatisfiable.'

'Is that even a word?'

'I'm creative. He'll find us eventually.'

'And now we're back where the conversation started.'

Kurama sighed. 'Up, then.'

Hiei slid smoothly out of his arms and onto the ground, landing noiselessly in front of Yusuke, who jumped.

'Don't _do _that!'

'Do what?' Hiei asked deadpan.

Yusuke growled incoherently. 'They want you two back at the house, so tell Kurama to get his butt over there as quick as he can or I'll kick it.'

'Oh, is that so?' Kurama asked mildly a few inches from his ear.

Yusuke jumped again.

'You do that on purpose,' he said accusingly.

'Do what?' Kurama asked with wide innocent eyes.

Yusuke huffed. 'I hate you both. Now let's go back.'

Kurama fell into step beside Yusuke, and Hiei took his usual position, placing Kurama between him and any others.

'Man, you two have got to stop being so antisocial,' Yusuke complained, and then shot Hiei a shrewd look. 'So you told Yukina, huh.'

'…'

'And by the huge smile she's wearing, I'd say it went well, right?'

'…'

'He's fine,' the redhead offered cheerfully. 'Happy, actually. He's just pathologically incapable of displaying it.'

'Shut up, fox.'

'So what did we miss?'

'Let's see.' Yusuke counted on his fingers. 'You missed Kuwabara dropping his fork, Kuwabara dropping his spoon, three wisecracks from Shizuru, one ultimatum from Genkai, two inane giggles from Keiko, one nervous laugh from Yukina, Kuwabara spilling the sauce on himself…yeah, that's about it.'

'And the bruise on your other cheek?'

'That…that was…I…she…urggg.'

'Ah.' Kurama nodded wisely. 'I see. That's a perfectly reasonable explanation.'

'Shut it, fox-boy.'

-------------------------------------------------------

Shizuru had been right. It wasn't exactly a rollicking social scene.

Kuwabara was trying to summon up the nerve to propose in a corner. He had been summoning for nearly half an hour, although Kurama was relieved to note that the alcohol (Shizuru's idea) was not involved in the ritual; Kuwabara and liquid courage were a frightening combination at the best of times.

Hiei was glowering in a corner, of course. The glowering would have been his customary half-hearted affair if it hadn't been for Yusuke trying to get him drunk. After the first few times of telling him to sod off, Hiei hit on the simpler strategy of simply downing every drink Yusuke got him. His accelerated metabolism and healing ensured that the amount he needed to get drunk would take a van to transport, but Yusuke didn't know that. Kurama, who did, was extremely amused – although, being Kurama, he felt it was a good opportunity for Yusuke to personally experience enlightenment, and remained silent.

Shizuru was leaning on the wall next to Kurama, and he could see her hands twitching for want of a smoke.

Genkai had vanished, claiming work.

Keiko and Yukina were having some sort of girl-talk on the cushions at the other end of the room, heads together and whispering excitedly. Kurama could have overheard them if he wanted, but it was unnecessary, and he did have some consideration when expediency was out of the picture.

Everyone was waiting, and in the end Kuwabara obliged, walking, uncharacteristically subdued, over to Yukina.

Yukina smiled up at him, and Keiko restrained a giggle. 'Yes, Kazuma?'

'…' Kuwabara's face contorted.

'Is something wrong? Are you all right?'

'Uh, no. That is, I'm all right, nothing's wrong.'

'Oh, just tell her already,' Yusuke yelled from across the room.

Kuwabara went on one knee.

Hiei stalked from the room.

Yukina looked after him, obviously puzzled.

Kurama shrugged apologetically at her.

'Yukina,' Kuwabara said simply, 'Will you marry me?'

Yukina's eyes widened impossibly. 'Kazuma…?'

Kurama left the room to follow Hiei, getting more irritated by the moment. A burst of cheering rose from the room in his wake, and he smiled briefly when Yusuke let out a loud whoop.

Hiei was on the porch, standing on the steps and staring out at the forest.

'Hiei, have you ever actually been a brother to her before?' Kurama asked bluntly as he joined him.

Hiei turned to look at him expressionlessly.

'She's going to be very hurt if you don't go back there right now, and you know it.'

'She was mine for an hour, fox,' he said simply. 'And now she's gone again.'

Kurama sighed. 'That's not true and you know it.'

'It seems that way.'

'She's only getting married, not dying.'

'Everything's different now.'

'Everything changes constantly, you know. You had to make one adjustment a few hours ago; now you'll just have to make another. And she,' he added as Hiei nodded quietly, 'was as much yours before today as she will be tomorrow. Neither of you are the kind who would abandon what they love.'

'I didn't want to do this. This is why.'

To his credit, Kurama didn't attempt to misunderstand. 'You're strong enough to take it, and you know I couldn't have forced you.'

'…if he makes any fun of me,' Hiei growled, 'I am going to kill him.'

'I'll keep my plants ready,' Kurama promised.

'What?' Hiei asked unguardedly.

'Well, you wouldn't want your sister bereaved before they even get married, would you?' Kurama grinned at Hiei's expression. 'Hiei. You do know they'll be married at some point, right?'

Hiei looked queasy all over again as they went back in.

Inside, the scene had changed dramatically. Instead of occupying different corners, the whole group was gathered around Yukina, talking excitedly. The ice maiden was examining her engagement ring and managing, by some miracle of poise, to seem perfectly demure even when she was firmly perched on Kuwabara's lap. Kuwabara, sitting in an armchair which had been dragged up to the temple for Genkai, looked slightly dazed, more bewildered and utterly, completely blissful. The sight was enough to make Kurama smile.

Yukina looked up and saw Hiei, and her eyes widened a little, questioning. 'Hiei…?'

Hiei snorted. 'If he hurts you, I will kill him.'

With a squeal of delight, Yukina launched herself off Kuwabara.

Kurama blinked. He knew Yukina didn't have the speed Hiei took for granted, but she'd crossed that room pretty damn fast to hug him. Hiei, visibly uncomfortable, managed to pat her on the back a few times.

'Awww, that's so sweet,' Shizuru drawled.

'Hey, what's going on?' Kuwabara demanded. 'Why's the shorty hugging my fiancee?'

'He's not hugging your fiancee,' Yukina said happily. 'He's hugging his sister.'

A deadly sort of silence descended on the room.

'Ugll?' Kuwabara finally ventured.

Yukina pulled away from Hiei, who looked deeply relieved. 'Didn't you know, Kazuma?' she asked, puzzled.

'Of course he didn't,' Genkai said. 'Look at him.'

A pale sort of green had been added to his existing orange-and-black colours. 'N…o,' he said slowly.

'Hn.'

'Well, that's not fair,' Keiko said judiciously. 'He didn't see the whole video, after all.'

'Keiko!' Yusuke hissed, but it was too late.

With millimetric movements, Hiei turned to look at him. 'Your little girlfriend didn't know earlier,' he snarled.

'I didn't tell her! It was Shizuru!' Yusuke babbled guiltily. Shizuru merely raised an eyebrow.

Hiei was not impressed. 'You're a lousy liar, Urameshi!'

Yusuke crashed through the screen doors, across the clearing and into a large pine which promptly imploded in a shower of splinters. Hiei took another step after him before Kurama grabbed him. 'Hiei…'

'Gonna kill you,' Hiei promised quietly as Yusuke picked himself up.

'Hiei!' Yukina said sharply, and the jaganshi went still, glaring at her, before he relaxed and shrugged free of Kurama's grip.

'All right,' he grumbled.

'He didn't mean to tell me, he just slipped,' Keiko offered, and quailed at a medium-strength Glare.

'Hn,' Hiei said, smugly flexing his fingers.

'No, Yusuke's definitely no tactician,' Kurama murmured.

Hiei raised an eyebrow.

'You weren't there for that one,' the redhead explained. 'Actually, you were there for it, but you'd just been electrocuted by Yusuke, so you probably weren't in the noticing sort of mood.'

'Hiei, shit! That hurt!' Yusuke complained.

'You deserved it, you jackass,' Genkai said crisply. 'And don't come back in here until you've dusted off. I'm an old lady, and I don't want to have to clean up after you.'

'Old lady my ass,' Yusuke muttered mutinously, but obeyed.

Hiei, having gained some composure, was sulking beside Kurama. Not that he called it that, of course. Yukina gave him a pretty good imitation of the youko eyes, and he relented. 'Fine. Whatever. I don't care. Do what you want.'

'That's his way of giving his blessings,' Kurama confided to Shizuru.

'He really should stop repressing himself like this.'

'I've told him that. It might cause him stomach trouble in old age.'

Hiei growled, but even he couldn't sustain the scowl when Yukina came up on his other side, expertly threaded one arm through his and the other through Kuwabara's and announced that they were all one big family now.

Kurama snickered.

'Fox.'

'Hmm?'

'Don't make me pull your hair again.'

A/N: remember a lot of people requested the Hiei/Kurama conversation post chapter 30? Well, that's the next one that's going to get posted.


	39. The second in line

****

**_The second in line _**

A/N: if you notice, for all Hiei sneers at Kuwabara, he never once, to my knowledge, comments on his crush on Yukina, which all the others tease him about. Interesting, and the inspiration for this fic. Full series spoilers, and past Shigure/Hiei implications. Just in case the pairing squicks you. I have a secret fondness for it. And the Kurama/Hiei I said I'd write will be up next. Sorry for the delay.

All his life, Hiei was second.

Second to his sister – the ice maiden, born from as forbidden a union as he, the one who shared his womb but was still judged worthy – clean where he was impure, normal where he was an abomination, accepted where he was cast away.

He forged on regardless. This was his fate and he would see it through.

Second, then, to a human woman; shared plans and shared trust shattering like smoke, discarded to save the life of a short-lived creature – betrayal pure and simple.

He forged on regardless. He had known that the fox would leave – known, at some level, that he would never fulfill the terms of their alliance. He had become too soft, too human, to attempt a plan like theirs; once his needs were fulfilled, Hiei knew he would leave. Had known from the beginning. But he still felt a tiny prickle of……something.

Second to a detective, just a few days later. The slide of metal into unresisting flesh, steely green eyes, blood flung at him, thick, familiar-scented blood, blood he had never wanted to shed. A silent apology in those eyes, erased by the roaring wash of fury from deep within him. Fury that blinded him, made him arrogant and needlessly, heedlessly cruel, made him toy with his prey rather than going for the quick finish – made him arch and gasp as he was electrocuted by that very prey, power rushing through him and ripping him apart.

Second to a human, again. Watching his sister laugh – such a lovely laugh, so free, so kind, could he have laughed like that ever? – and take his hand shyly, watch the blush spread across his face as she told him that she didn't hate all humans – that she didn't hate him. Watched her look back at him just once before she disappeared into ice and snow, one more glance than she'd given any of the others.

Watched the naked longing on that boy's face, and he didn't have the heart to insult him for it, because Hiei knew the taste of that need as well as he did. And that taste in his mouth was bitter.

Second to his teammates, later. Carried home against his will, asleep and nearly dead. They knew he wanted to stay, he knew they knew, and waking in a world he had thought safely behind him was an ugly thing. They had been selfish, and he was reaping the consequences of their selfishness. Betrayed again, he thought, but he went on nonetheless, because at this time, forward was the only way he could go.

Second to a debt. The fox stood calm and beautiful, red hair shadowing green eyes, and told Hiei that he would be an opponent without the slightest qualm. Forced them into enmity again, without need or explanation. Again that taste rose up in him, but he quelled it and moved on, leaving him there, seething with emotion under a nonchalant façade. One step ahead of another, and he would _not _mourn the absence of one who had done him so much harm – would not mourn him, would not miss him, no, never.

Second to a contest, then. That circular sword, that familiar grin; one he owed a debt to, one he had fought and cared for as deeply as he could have cared for anything then. Once again he was on the wrong side of a friend's blade, and he slowed, his instincts gone, weariness and sorrow carving out his speed, his edge, leaving behind a single impulse. Take the blade through you, it whispered, and why not, what did he have to lose, who cared if he lived or died? And he listened, and he died.

Second to an employer's need, immediately after. Forced back to life, nursed and fed and healed whether he wanted it or not, ruthless in her mercy, she made him return to what he was, to what she needed him to be in order for her ends to be achieved. His desire to die was ignored, thwarted; his weariness unacknowledged, his determination to end it foiled at every turn. And he yielded to that ruthlessness, a tiny part of him wondering why she even bothered, what was he that she cared so?

Second, at last, to an old friend, that final match, watching red blood spill below red hair. Running, running, fear making his heart beat faster than the speed he was going, trying to get there in time, to be first for once – and that familiar red-headed form leaning against a taller one, as at ease and comfortable as he had been with Hiei. He was second again, and he stopped, because he was as unnecessary as ever.

Unwanted as ever.

Still second.

And Hiei had always been second, but now it _hurt_, and it was sometime around this moment that he decided that he had finally had enough.

A/N: and then he stayed behind. The end.


	40. The reconciliation of opposites

**_The reconciliation of opposites _**

_"Marriage will never become unpopular. There is no other state in which an adult can be certain that someone is worrying about him and wishing him well while being annoyed with him at the same time." _

It was dinnertime when Hiei returned to Mukuro's fortress, weary and aching and almost ready to call it a day and collapse onto the nearest convenient sleeping surface. He had found himself on the human side of the border that evening – twice – pushed back by a wave of concerted attacks by a band of middle-class youkai looking for easy pickings on the other side; the dragon had decided matters in the end, but it had been close, and all he wanted was to sleep. Then that idiotic message arrived, and he'd had to ride seven hours to get back to Alaric.

'Mukuro,' he began as he barged unceremoniously into the dining room, intending to tell his boss exactly what he thought of this, 'whatever's trying to go through that h–'

Kurama.

What. The. Hell?

'Hiei.'

'Kurama,' he said numbly. 'What are you doing here?'

'I'm on vacation. I was tying up some loose ends with Yomi's people, taking care of the paperwork and all, and I thought I'd…' he trailed off. 'How are you?'

Several scathing remarks occurred to him. He settled for a neutral 'Fine.'

Mukuro murmured some sort of excuse and edged past them. Hiei barely noticed her go.

The sound of the door shutting, a soft mechanical whine, seemed to punctuate her departure.

'What are you here for?' Hiei asked bluntly.

'I wanted to see you,' Kurama said simply.

'Why?'

'Just because.' The kitsune shrugged gracefully. 'Do I always have to have another reason?'

'Yes,' Hiei said simply, because this was _Kurama_.

'Well, I don't this time,' Kurama said sharply.

'Ah.' Hiei stared blankly at the wall past the mane of red hair, fluttering in the breeze blowing through the open window. More than ever, it reminded him of blood at this moment. 'So.'

'Hiei? Did you use your dragon today?' A sharp, worried edge to Kurama's voice. So familiar, that edge, familiar from a hundred battles and a hundred times when Hiei had turned up on his window or at his house or by his side. Familiar from hours of healing, gentle conversation. Horribly, achingly familiar.

Such a worrier, he was, even when Hiei was just…

Hair like blood, everywhere, dark across his vision…

He was barely aware of being caught as his eyes closed and he slumped forward.

When he woke from the deep, drugged, dreamless sleep summoning his dragon brought in its wake, he was lying on his back on the deep, rough carpeting of the floor, his head against the wall. Kurama was leaning against the wall, crosslegged, a distant expression on his face. The long scarf Kurama had wrapped around his neck was gone, and from the silky feel of cloth under his head and neck Hiei supposed it was supporting him.

Unnecessary.

'Hey.'

Kurama started visibly. 'Hiei. You're awake.'

'You're letting your guard down. Living in the human world making you soft?'

'I didn't need my hand held on the way here,' Kurama retorted. 'And you fell asleep quite easily in my presence for one who said he'd never ask for my help again.'

'It's not my problem if you're fool enough to keep giving it.' Hiei sat up, ignoring protesting muscles. 'Now, what the devil are you doing here?'

'I already told you that,' Kurama said severely. 'I don't like having to repeat myself.'

'I refuse to believe you've no ulterior motives.'

'Your beliefs aren't under my control. Still, there is such a thing as missing the obvious.' Kurama huffed. 'If you haven't noticed yet, Hiei, you probably won't for the next century or so. It's quite infuriating, this tendency of yours to underestimate the extent to which you matter to those around you.'

Hiei eyed him suspiciously. 'That sounded almost like a declaration of friendship.'

To his surprise, Kurama chuckled and rapped him on the head lightly, as he'd seen Kuwabara do to Yusuke sometimes. 'Definitely hollow,' he said mournfully.

'What the hell are you doing?'

'Checking the consistency, of course,' Kurama said cheerfully. 'I'm the closest thing the Urameshi gang has to a doctor, after all, now that Genkai isn't fighting anymore.'

'You have the most incredible mood swings sometimes,' Hiei noted.

'And I wanted to come back,' Kurama continued undisturbed, as if the two sentences were connected. 'I've grown…quite fond…of the other world, but home is home. I don't quite feel like myself over there.'

'I thought your home was with that woman.'

'If she weren't there, I wouldn't be either. But as it is, I'm afraid I'll have to stay there until that time.'

'So it wasn't permanent, then.'

'Did I ever say it was?' Kurama asked innocently, despite having implied exactly the same thing when they'd parted. 'A man who doesn't age is going to become conspicuous eventually, and illusion spells can only do so much for that. No, I will return.' He breathed deeply. 'The air's more real here, somehow.'

'Real air,' Hiei echoed skeptically.

'Or maybe this is where I'm real.' He tilted his head. 'Do you think so?'

'You're insane in either world.'

'…hey, Hiei.'

'Hmm?'

'Yukina's fine, too.'

Yukina, Hiei thought with a start. He'd completely forgotten…maybe he was even more tired than he'd thought. 'Hn.'

'Yusuke and I were talking about you the other day. There's something we wanted to show Mukuro; something about you, actually.'

Hiei looked up at Kurama from the corner of his eye. That tone of voice was never good news.

'Unfortunately, Yusuke couldn't make it this weekend, and he told me he'd kill me if I showed it to her without him, so I guess I'll have to come another time.'

'And you're telling me this why?'

'Simply to give you advance notice.' Definitely not good news. 'In case you wanted to leave the country and save yourself some embarrassment.'

Hiei considered everything the statement implied very carefully indeed. 'Like I give a damn what you tell anyone about me,' he sneered, and knew Kurama would read the consent he'd given.

Kurama smiled for the first time, bright and relieved, and Hiei realised that he'd actually mis–

No. No, no, no, he _hadn't_.

'Well, you can't say I didn't warn you,' Kurama said cheerily.

'So this was a mission of mercy?'

'Something of the sort, if you wish,' he agreed, eyes still bright with happiness; concealed, but Hiei could read him as well as Kurama could retaliate.

'So you did have another motive for coming over here,' Hiei accused.

'You have no faith in my virtue.'

'None whatever.'

Kurama averted his eyes, and Hiei knew there was something else coming. 'Yukina was asking whether your search had had any results so far,' he said, and looked at him sideways.

'And what did you tell her, exactly?'

'Oh, merely that you would provide better answers than I could. She looked rather upset by that.'

'Yes, okay, fine,' Hiei snapped and scrubbed wearily at his face. He still needed sleep.

'Hiei?' Oh, yes, there were the youko eyes. Innocent, wide, pretty, even as they manipulated you into doing exactly what they wanted.

'I'll go see her,' he snarled. 'Satisfied?'

'What do I have to do with any of that?'

'I might,' Hiei said, 'make the journey expressly to kill you.'

'I'll have to be on my guard then.' Kurama grinned. 'Eight o' clock in the evening in the woods off the park, say? I'll go if I sense you. It's been a while since I sparred with someone interesting.'

'I might have to kill you right now, fox,' Hiei said. The words sounded far less ominous when they were forced out around a gigantic yawn.

'You're too tired,' Kurama retorted. 'I could flick you on the forehead right now and you'd pass out.'

Unfortunately, Hiei thought, he was right.

'When I wake up, then,' he muttered stubbornly.

'Whatever you say, Hiei,' Kurama agreed demurely, which fooled Hiei not at all; an agreeable Kurama, Hiei knew, usually meant that what he was agreeing to was what he'd wanted in the first place.

Damn him for being such a manipulator.

'You can sleep,' Kurama continued. 'I'll be awake.'

As if I need you to watch my back, Hiei wanted to retort, but he was already falling asleep again, so instead of falling back down to the floor, he rested his head on Kurama's shoulder and slumped sideways.

'It's lucky you've got all these people to haul you around,' Kurama murmured, laughter in his voice. 'You really do choose the most inconvenient times to fall asleep.'

Sticking his tongue out would be immature, so he settled for ignoring that with dignity.

A/N: Hiei passes out. A lot, actually. And someone or the other always ends up dragging him limp and unconscious off the battlefield. He's very troublesome that way. Ah, well, the disadvantages of lickable jaganshis. And the quote at the top just seemed so HK, it was the first thing I thought of when I read it. I realise that the gap between posts has been abominably long, and will probably be abominably longer, but I'm not finished with this story yet – I still have things to resolve – and a certain game hasn't wound to its conclusion yet. That said, the HK drabbles I'm writing are getting updated more regularly, so check those out if you're really dying for want of my work (_winks_). End of insanely wordy a/n.


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